Antineoplastic Handling: Safe Practices for Cancer Drugs

When you hear antineoplastic handling, the safe procedures used to prepare, transport, and dispose of cancer-fighting drugs. Also known as chemotherapy handling, it's not just about giving pills or IVs—it’s about stopping toxic drugs from harming the people who give them. These drugs don’t just target cancer cells. They can damage healthy tissue, cause birth defects, or trigger long-term illness if they get on skin, inhaled, or swallowed. Nurses, pharmacists, and even family members helping with treatment need to know how to protect themselves and others.

Chemotherapy safety, the set of rules and equipment used to reduce exposure to hazardous drugs isn’t optional. It’s required by OSHA and NIOSH. That means gloves, gowns, and closed-system transfer devices aren’t suggestions—they’re the minimum. A single spill of doxorubicin or paclitaxel can linger on surfaces for days. Even tiny amounts absorbed through skin can add up over time. Studies show healthcare workers who skip proper handling have higher rates of reproductive issues and blood disorders. And it’s not just hospitals. Home care nurses and caregivers handling oral chemo like capecitabine or temozolomide face the same risks.

Cancer drug exposure, unintended contact with antineoplastic agents happens more often than you think. It’s not always a big spill. It’s a glove tear during prep. It’s a vial leaking in a transport bag. It’s a pill crushing without a containment device. The real danger isn’t the shock moment—it’s the quiet, repeated exposure. That’s why protocols exist: double-gloving, ventilated cabinets, dedicated spill kits, and strict waste labeling. These aren’t bureaucracy—they’re survival tools.

What you’ll find below isn’t theory. These are real stories from clinics and homes: how one nurse avoided nerve damage by changing her glove protocol, why a pharmacy switched to prefilled syringes and cut exposure by 70%, and what to do if you accidentally get chemo on your skin. No fluff. No jargon. Just what works.