A STUDY ON THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ANTICANCER DRUGS IN AN ONCOLOGY CENTER OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: To study the occurrence and management of adverse effects associated with the use of anticancer drugs in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: It was a single centered, observational study. Patients receiving chemotherapy were interviewed for information on type of adverse effects and the other pertinent information like demographics, diagnosis, treatment, drugs used to manage the adverse effects were collected from the patient’s medical records. The data was categorized based on type of cancers, adverse effects and agents used to manage the adverse effects. Results: Out of the total 130 cases evaluated, 60 (46.2%) were males and 70 (53.8%) were females. The most prevalent cancer among females was found to be breast (40%) and cervical (11.4%) whereas lung (10%) and urinary bladder (8.3%) were common among males. Nausea (48.5%), vomiting (31.5%), decreased appetite (39.2%), alopecia (37.7%), anaemia (35.4%), nail discoloration (30%) were the most frequently reported adverse effects. The premedications commonly used were Ondansetron, Dexamethasone, Aprepitant and proton pump inhibitors individually or in combination. Conclusion: Study revealed that all patients receiving cytotoxic drugs suffer one or more AEs. The prevalence of AEs was considerable high inspite of the use of existing premedications. Attempts to minimize the AEs associated with the anticancer drugs should be focused on increasing awareness through educational intervention and development of preventive measures for improved quality of life.

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