A retrospective study on potential drug interactions: A single center experience

Background: In this study, it is aimed to explain the type and frequency of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) in patients a Medical oncology service. Methods: This study retrospective descriptive design. pDDIs were identified using the checker programme (Medscape®). Interactions were classifie...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fatma Ceyda Korucu, Ece Senyigit, Osman Köstek, Nazım Can Demircan, Bulent Erdogan, Sernaz Uzunoglu, Irfan Cicin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Turkiye Klinikleri 2018-08-01
Series:Journal of Oncological Sciences
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245233641830013X
Description
Summary:Background: In this study, it is aimed to explain the type and frequency of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI) in patients a Medical oncology service. Methods: This study retrospective descriptive design. pDDIs were identified using the checker programme (Medscape®). Interactions were classified according to their clinical relevance as minor, moderate and major as appropriate. Results: The prevalence of pDDIs was 71.3% and median age was 61 years-old (interquartile range 54–68) and female to male ratio was 116/211. The median number of drugs per patient was 8 (interquartile range 5–10). A total of 1102 pDDIs of 327 hospitalized cancer patients were identified. Of those, 16.7% were major and 61.8% moderate, respectively. Concomitant use of opioids was the most common interaction in our study. Conclusions: Drug interactions were common in hospitalized cancer patients. In order to prevent potential hazardous effect of pDDI, awareness of the physicians should be increased about this issue. Keywords: Cancer patients, Oncology, Polypharmacy, Drug interaction, Chemotherapy
ISSN:2452-3364