Safe Handling of Chemotherapy and Biotherapy at Home

Time to Read: About 4 minutes

This information will help you safely handle chemotherapy and biotherapy at home.

Touching Your Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Medication

  • Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after touching your medication.
  • If your caregiver is helping you, they’ll need to wear disposable gloves. They should throw the gloves away after using them and wash their hands.
  • Don’t let anyone that’s pregnant or nursing touch your medication.
  • Don’t crush, break, or open any pills or capsules unless your healthcare provider instructs you to.
  • If a child or pet accidentally swallows your medication, call Poison Control right away at 800-222-1222.

Storing Your Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Medication

  • If our nurse or pharmacist gives you special instructions on how to store your medication, follow their instructions.
  • Keep your chemotherapy and biotherapy medication in their original pill bottle. Do not put them in a pill box unless a member of your care team tells you to.
  • Make sure your medication containers are sealed and stored away from children and pets.
  • Keep your medication in a cool, dry place away from heat, sunlight, or moisture.
  • Don’t let chemotherapy or biotherapy medications come in contact with your other medications. They should always be separate.
  • If your medication needs to be in the refrigerator, store the medication container inside another container or in a sealed bag. Make sure it doesn’t touch any food.

Disposing of Your Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Medication

  • If you have any leftover or expired medications, you can bring them to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s (MSK) medication pharmacy drop box to get rid of them. The drop box is located at the 425 East 67th Street entrance of the Haupt building. There may be other drop boxes in your community. For more information, read How to Get Rid of Your Unused Medications (www.mskcc.org/pe/getting_rid_medications).
  • Your healthcare provider can’t get rid of your medications for you so don’t bring them to your appointment.
  • Don’t recycle or reuse empty pill bottles or containers for your cancer medication. You can throw empty pill bottles in the trash.
  • For information about storing and disposing of sharps, follow the instructions in the resource How to Store and Get Rid of Your Home Medical Sharps (www.mskcc.org/pe/store_get_rid_sharps).

Cleaning Intravenous (IV) Medication Leaks and Spills

Check the connections of your IV tubing 2 times a day. Make sure they’re tight and not leaking. If your medication leaks or spills, follow the guidelines in this section. For a quick reference, read our resource Follow the 4 Cs if Your Chemo Leaks or Spills (www.mskcc.org/pe/4_cs_leaks_spills).

Make a spill kit

You should be ready to clean up medication leaks or spills while you’re getting continuous IV chemotherapy at home. Make a spill kit that has the following supplies. Keep the kit where you can easily reach it.

  • 2 pairs of disposable gloves
  • Paper towels or an absorbent towel that can be thrown away
  • Dish soap or laundry detergent
  • 2 plastic bags that seal (1 gallon size or larger)

What to do if your IV connection is leaking

If your IV connection is leaking, follow these steps:

  1. Put on 2 pairs of disposable gloves.
  2. Cover the connection with a paper towel and wrap a plastic bag around the connection.
  3. Clamp the tubing.
  4. If you have a pump, turn it off.
  5. Call your healthcare provider right away for more instructions.

If your liquid chemotherapy or biotherapy medication spills:

  1. Put on 2 pairs of disposable gloves.
  2. Clamp the tubing.
  3. If you have a pump, turn it off
  4. Place the following in plastic bags and seal the bags tightly:
    • Any remaining medication.
    • Any container, pump, or tubing used to deliver the medication.
    • Your carrying case for your equipment, if you have one.
  5. Soak up the spill with paper towels.
  6. Clean the area with dish soap or laundry detergent and water. Rinse with clean water.
  7. Place all supplies used to clean the spill in a plastic bag. Seal the bag. Make sure people and pets don’t come into contact with these supplies.
  8. Remove the gloves. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  9. Call your healthcare provider’s office for instructions on how to dispose of the medication, equipment, and cleaning supplies.

What to do if your medication gets on your skin or in your eyes

If your medication gets on your skin, wash the area with soap and water. Call your healthcare provider if you have any redness, pain, or burning on your skin.

If your medication splashes in your eyes, rinse them with running water right away. Keep the water flowing over your open eyes for 10 to 15 minutes. Call your healthcare provider to ask for more instructions.

What to do if your medication gets on your clothing or linens

  1. Put on a pair of disposable gloves.
  2. Make sure that the items with medication on them don’t touch any part of your body.
  3. Wash the clothing and linens in hot water. Don’t wash them with any other items.
  4. If possible, wash the dirty clothes and linens right away. If you can’t wash them right away, put them in a plastic bag until they can be washed.

Handling Body Fluids

Your medication may appear in your body fluids (such as your urine, bowel movements, vomit, vaginal fluid, or semen) during and after your therapy.

If you’re taking IV medication, follow the instructions below during your treatment and for 2 days after your treatment.

If you’re taking oral (by mouth) medication, follow the instructions below during your treatment and for 7 days after your treatment.

  • You and your caregiver should wear disposable gloves when:
    • Emptying or rinsing containers such as a bedpan, urinal, or commode.
    • Touching dirty diapers.
    • Cleaning up urine (pee), vomit (throw up), or bowel movements (poop).
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after removing your disposable gloves.
  • Place all diapers in a sealed bag before putting them in the trash.
  • Close the toilet lid and flush twice after using the toilet.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the toilet.
  • Wash any area of your skin that comes into contact with urine, bowel movements, vomit, or other body fluids.
  • Keep children and pets from playing in or drinking from the toilet.

Last Updated

Monday, December 12, 2022

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