Polypharmacy in the terminal stage of cancer

Kierner, Katharina A.; Weixler, Dietmar; Masel, Eva Katharina; Gartner, Verena; Watzke, Herbert

doi:10.1007/s00520-015-3007-z

Cited by 48 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Our results enhance previous studies demonstrating that patients are poly‐medicated even during their last period of life …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Our results enhance previous studies demonstrating that patients are poly-medicated even during their last period of life. 16 We included only patients defined by their medical authorities as having very limited life expectancy. Unless promised unrealistic hopes for cure or significant life extension, these patients usually seek comfort and symptomatic relief.…”

Section: Addressing Our Study's Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Inappropriate medication use and polypharmacy in end-stage cancer patients: Isn't it the family doctor's role to de-prescribe much earlier?

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Though not representative of the whole end-stage cancer patient population, our study demonstrates that these patients are exposed to extensive polypharmacy. Most of these medications could have probably been safely de-prescribed much earlier in the course of the malignant disease. Considering the prolonged trust-based relationship with their patients, the family physicians are those who should be encouraged to implement the palliative approach and reduce polypharmacy much before reaching hospice settings.

show abstract

“…Our results enhance previous studies demonstrating that patients are poly‐medicated even during their last period of life …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Addressing Our Study's Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inappropriate medication use and polypharmacy in end-stage cancer patients: Isn't it the family doctor's role to de-prescribe much earlier?

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…27 In one chart review of 100 patients with advanced cancer, 95% had polypharmacy in the week before death. 28 In oncology settings, the presence of polypharmacy has been associated with higher numbers of comorbidities, increased use of inappropriate medications, worse performance status, frailty syndrome, poor physical function and poor survival. 24, 29, 30 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication use in geriatric oncology

Sharma

Loh

Nightingale

et al. 2016

Journal of Geriatric Oncology

169

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Polypharmacy is a highly prevalent problem in older persons, and is challenging to assess and improve due to variations in definitions of the problem and the heterogeneous methods of medication review and reduction. The purpose of this review is to summarize evidence regarding the prevalence and impact of polypharmacy in geriatric oncology patients and to provide recommendations for assessment and management. Polypharmacy has somewhat variably been incorporated into geriatric assessment studies in geriatric oncology, and polypharmacy has not been consistently evaluated as a predictor of negative outcomes in patients with cancer. Once screened, interventions for polypharmacy are even more uncertain. There is a great need to create standardized interventions to improve polypharmacy in geriatrics, and particularly in geriatric oncology. The process of deprescribing is aimed at reducing medications for which real or potential harm outweighs benefit, and there are numerous methods to determine which medications are candidates for deprescribing. However, deprescribing approaches have not been evaluated in older patients with cancer. Ultimately, methods to identify polypharmacy will need to be clearly defined and validated, and interventions to improve medication use will need to be based on clearly defined and standardized methods.

show abstract

“…The reason for high consumption of preventive drugs in the aforementioned study was stated to be the lack of coordination between the healthcare service providers in the primary and secondary levels. Moreover, other studies identified opioids, psychoactive drugs (Kierner et al, 2016), morphine and other painkillers, as well as antiemetic drugs (Nauck et al, 2004) as the most frequently-used medications in the patients with advanced cancer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous definitions have been proposed such as concurrent use of multiple medications, use of incompatible medications, or inadequate consumption of medication. A number of studies have defined the polypharmacy as the simultaneous consumption of more than four or five medications (Maggiore et al, 2010;Kierner et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequency of Polypharmacy in Advanced Cancer Patients Consulted with the Palliative Service of Imam Khomeini Hospital (Tehran), Iran, 2017

Khaledi

Kazemi

Tahmasebi

2019

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Polypharmacy is defined as the concurrent use of more than four or five medications by an individual. The prevalence of this condition has increased due to the ageing population and the related illnesses. Use of multiple medications would increase the risk of side-effects, drug interactions, and medical costs. The present study aimed to determine the frequency of polypharmacy in the advanced cancer patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 92 patients with advanced cancer were selected through convenience sampling from the inpatients and outpatients who referred to the Palliative Care Unit of Imam Khomeini Hospital (Tehran) in 2017. An examining physician completed a researcher-made checklist for all the subjects based on the patients’ biography and medical records. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS software (version 19.0) through descriptive and analytical tests at the significance level of p<0.05. Results: The participants’ mean age was 55.5±16.2 years. A minimum of one comorbid disease was seen in 81.5% of the patients (n=75), the most prevalent of which were psychiatric disorders. Eighty-eight percent of the patients (n=81) were on at least 5 or more medications. Opioids and antacids were the most common medications used by these patients. Conclusion: The frequency of polypharmacy and average number of consumed medications were high in patients with advanced cancer. Studying the effectiveness of these medications can highly help the physicians stop or continue prescribing such medications, and guide the focus of attention towards the drugs that can improve the patients’ quality of life in the final days.

show abstract

Polypharmacy in the terminal stage of cancer

Abstract: Polypharmacy still is a problem in the large majority of patients with terminal cancer. Further studies should be focused on the patients' quality of life, drug interactions, and adverse events.

Cited by 48 publications

References 23 publications

Inappropriate medication use and polypharmacy in end-stage cancer patients: Isn't it the family doctor's role to de-prescribe much earlier?

Inappropriate medication use and polypharmacy in end-stage cancer patients: Isn't it the family doctor's role to de-prescribe much earlier?

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication use in geriatric oncology

Frequency of Polypharmacy in Advanced Cancer Patients Consulted with the Palliative Service of Imam Khomeini Hospital (Tehran), Iran, 2017

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About