Polypharmacy in Oncology

Justin J Cheng; Asal M Azizoddin; Michael J Maranzano; Narine Sargsyan; John Shen

doi:10.1016/j.cger.2022.05.010

Polypharmacy in Oncology

Clin Geriatr Med. 2022 Nov;38(4):705-714. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2022.05.010. Epub 2022 Sep 13.

Authors

Justin J Cheng¹, Asal M Azizoddin², Michael J Maranzano², Narine Sargsyan², John Shen²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 1 Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA. Electronic address: jjcheng@wakehealth.edu.
² Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 60-054, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

PMID: 36210086
DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2022.05.010

Abstract

Polypharmacy, defined as taking five medications or more, is a common geriatric syndrome. It is especially prevalent in older adults with cancer. For older patients with breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, polypharmacy has numerous adverse effects, including interactions with medications prescribed for other comorbidities. Polypharmacy is influenced by drug-drug interactions and can reduce the efficacy of systemic cancer therapeutics. It is also associated with worse progression-free and overall survival for some cancers such as lung and colorectal cancer. This highlights the need for a judicious review of all medications and the role of interventions in improving quality of life and survival.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Colon cancer; Geriatrics; Lung cancer; Polypharmacy; Prostate cancer.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Colorectal Neoplasms*
Comorbidity
Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions* / prevention & control
Humans
Male
Polypharmacy
Quality of Life