Cancer Centre Pharmacy

pharmacy 1 The cancer centre pharmacy specializes in providing effective medications that target cancer in the safest way possible.

We also provide some of the medications to prevent and relieve side effects of your cancer treatment. You should get your other medications through your usual pharmacy. Please inform your community pharmacists of the medications you receive from the cancer centre to ensure that they are able to care for you appropriately. All medications provided by the cancer centre pharmacy are at no cost to you.

Learn about your cancer treatment

We want you to know about your medications. Our pharmacists will provide you with information about how to take the drugs and how to prevent and manage side effects.

When there are no refills remaining on your prescription and you don’t have an appointment planned with your doctor at the cancer centre before you run out of medication, please contact the cancer centre pharmacy as early as possible. If your medication is prescribed by your family doctor or nurse practitioner, please arrange to have a new prescription sent to the cancer centre pharmacy.

Some other medications, vitamins or alternative treatments can affect how well your treatment for cancer will work. Please discuss with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new treatment, and if you do start or stop any type of therapy, let us know.

Handle your medication with care

The medications you receive from the cancer centre pharmacy may be harmful to other people. We will let you know if you need to handle them in a special way. Please keep your medications safely away from children.

If you are no longer in need of your medications, please return them to the cancer centre pharmacy for safe disposal.

Many of the medications used to treat cancer are very expensive and may at times be dispensed in small amounts.

Prescription Assessment

Once we receive a prescription for your cancer treatment, there are many steps that our pharmacy staff must take to ensure your treatment is as safe and effective as possible.

Our pharmacists ensure that:

The correct cancer treatment has been prescribed for you
The dose of your medication is correct for your height, weight and blood test results
Interaction between your cancer treatment and other medications is limited

We check to make sure you receive your treatment at the right time.

Any uncommon uses or changes that are needed are discussed with your doctor before your medication is prepared.

Many cancer medications require extra review and paperwork, such as for clinical trials or for special funding. The pharmacy team needs a longer time to prepare these medications.

Your prescription is entered into our pharmacy computer system to ensure we have a complete record of your cancer medications.

Prescription Preparation

Medications given into your vein (intravenous or “IV”) and some medications taken by mouth (oral) are prepared in a specialized area requiring equal access times. This ensures your medication is prepared in the safest way possible.

Some IV medications are only stable for a few hours or are very costly, so we may only prepare your medication once you have arrived and are safe to receive treatment.

Preparation Wait Times

Please anticipate the following wait times for a prescription to be filled:

New prescription for you: Approximately 2 hours
Dropping off a prescription refill: Approximately 2 hours
Calling in a prescription refill: Please contact us 24 hours prior to pick up
Mailing out a prescription: Please contact us 7-10 days prior to needing the prescription. Delivery is free of charge for those living outside of Saskatoon or Regina. Saskatoon and Regina patients are encouraged to pick up their prescription the next business day.

There may be a delay in filling your prescription if your pharmacist needs to gather extra information or if we must wait for your blood test results.

Medication Education

We try to provide you with important information about each medication that you receive. Sometimes it is hard to remember everything that you are told, so please call us if you have questions.

306-655-2680 - Saskatoon Cancer Centre
306-766-2816 - Allan Blair Cancer Centre

Our hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (closed for statutory holidays).