Year: 2024 | Month: February | Volume: 11 | Issue: 2 | Pages: 194-204
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20240221
A Prospective Observational Study on the Prescription Pattern of Anticancer Drugs and Adverse Reactions of Chemotherapy in Patients with Breast Cancer
D. Hanuma Nayak1, G. Govinda Raju2, Dr D. Rama Brahma Reddy3, Dr T. J. Mohan Rao4
1,2Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) V year, Department of Pharmacy Practice, 3Principal & Professor, Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry,
4Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology,
Nalanda Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kantepudi (Village), Sattenapalli (Mandal), Dist. Guntur-522438 Andra Pradesh, India.
Corresponding Author: D. Hanuma Nayak
ABSTRACT
Background: Every hospital should conduct a periodic study of prescription patterns as a potential tool for determining the function of pharmaceuticals in society.
Objective: The study’s primary goals were to evaluate prescription patterns and frequent adverse reactions in individuals undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy.
Materials and methods: At the American Oncology Institute in Guntur, a prospective observational study was carried out. The breast cancer patients who met the inclusion criteria underwent a six-month period of purposive sampling in a daycare centre. Information about the patient’s demographics, recommended medications, and adverse responses was gathered using a standard data collection form.
Results: The study included 230 patients with breast cancer who, according to the study, were found to be in the 50–60year age range. Of the 230 patients, 117 had left breast cancer and 113 had right breast cancer; 226 of the patients were female and 4 were male. The most frequently used chemotherapeutic agent was cyclophosphamide (26%), which was followed by docetaxel (19%) and Adriamycin (14%). Adriamycin + Cyclophosphamide was the most frequently suggested regimen, followed by Docetaxel + Carboplatin + Trastuzumab. The most often reported ADR was nausea, which was followed by alopecia, fatigue, vomiting, and skin rashes.
Conclusion: The medication most frequently prescribed was cyclophosphamide. ADR incidence was highest when cyclophosphamide and Adriamycin were used. Despite receiving prophylactic antiemetic medication, the majority of patients experienced nausea and vomiting. This suggests that more steps should be taken to prevent emesis, as these adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with antineoplastic medicines are typically avoidable.
Keywords: breast cancer, prescription medications, anti-cancer drugs, breast cancer therapy, adverse effects.
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