Shortages of drugs, including chemotherapeutics, are increasingly common in the USA, and compromise patient care, delay clinical trials and are associated with substantial financial costs. The recent shortage of vincristine, a chemotherapeutic used for most children with cancer and countless adult patients, presents a particularly vexing challenge. Drug shortages can cause patients unnecessary anxiety and challenge clinicians to ration lifesaving medications for which no alternative agent exists. We provide an overview of this problem and discuss potential solutions.

中文翻译：

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美国的肿瘤药物短缺-照常营业。

在美国，包括化学治疗药在内的药物短缺越来越普遍，并且会损害患者的护理，延误临床试验，并带来大量的财务费用。长春新碱（一种用于大多数患有癌症的儿童和无数成年患者的化学治疗药）的近期短缺，提出了特别令人烦恼的挑战。药物短缺可能导致患者不必要的焦虑，并挑战临床医生配给无替代药物的救生药物。我们提供了此问题的概述，并讨论了可能的解决方案。