Evaluation of chemotherapeutic regimen and associated adverse drug reactions of colorectal cancer in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cause of death diagnosed in both men and women. Though there are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for CRC. cancer patients encounter chemotherapy-associated drug interactions and adverse drug reactions hence the need for such a study will help the professionals to improve the patient’s quality of life. Materials and Methods: A six-month retrospective study of 130 patients who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria was conducted by collecting data from November 2020 to May 2021. Data was collected from the Mediware system of the hospital using specially designed data collection forms. Results: Out of 130 patients, 61.51% were male and most of the patients were more than 60 years old. In this study, 11 patients had a history of smoking and alcoholism and 4% had a family history of CRC. Comorbidities associated with CRC were HTN and DM. In the study, stage 4 cancer patients were found to be more. 77.69% of patients had received chemotherapy along with surgery, and the most commonly prescribed regimen was Capcetabine and OxaliplatinThe length of hospital stay was increased for the FOLFOX (Oxaliplatin, 5-Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin) regimen. The common ADR analyzed was constipation, followed by vomiting and neutropenia, and most ADRs were associated with the CAPOX regimen (diarrhea) and treated accordingly.10 patients had febrile neutropenia, 5 patients had grade 4 neutropenia and all were treated with antibiotics and filgrastim. Febrile neutropenia was seen in patients with metastasis. Conclusion: Timely and appropriate treatment for ADRs and early screening can improve the quality of life of individuals. Further studies on this topic will help to improve the treatment quality provided by professionals