5FU Freedom Project
Some patients and caregivers have learned how to self-disconnect their 5FU pumps at home — and many more want to. Read on to learn more about meeting this patient need!
“Having the patients empowered to safely self-disconnect themselves decreases the need for home care and the decreases the patient load from the infusion center. Empowering patients to self-disconnect from their chemotherapy infusions represents a significant innovation in patient care. This approach enhances patient competence by giving them the skills and confidence to manage their treatment, fostering a greater sense of control over their health.” — from ‘5FU Self-Disconnects’ poster presented at NHIA 2025 by Tantalo, et al from University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Centre.
List of cancer centers where COLONTOWN
members have reported self-disconnecting
To see this map as a list, click here. To add a center to this map, email [email protected]
Our Poster and Presentation
Click on the image to enlarge and click the arrows to see our whole presentation
Copies of this poster are for personal use only and may not be reproduced without permission from ASCO® or the author of this poster.
Steps your cancer center can take to support self-disconnect freedom
1
Identify who will perform the pump disconnect
In our survey, 40% patients themselves, 60% by caregiver.
Provide training on how to disconnect the pump
For respondents who self-disconnected in our survey, most were taught via live demo, followed by video and written instructions. 93% of those who didn’t self-disconnect said a video would be helpful to decide whether to self-disconnect. Consider doing a live demo with video + written material reference. See below for some resources.
2
3
Provide a disconnect kit to the patient upon discharge
See this video from Dana Farber on what they provide in their kit.
Provide a system for disposing the old pump
In our survey, most people returned their pumps to their cancer centers.
4
Supporting research
Experiences and best practices from cancer centers who have implemented self-disconnect
How-To Videos
There are many self-disconnect videos available. These are a few that we found clear and useful.
Written instructions
