Cancer Patients are Prone to Drug Interactions
April 26, 2007 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Usually, cancer patients take several medications at the same time, not only for treatment of cancer but for management of side effects and other secondary illness induced by the cancer itself or the cancer drug prescribed to them.
Because of that, cancer patients are a higher risk of potential drug interactions that could cause them unnecessary harm.
According to a new study led by Rachel Riechelmann, M.D., of the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, recently published in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute:
Nearly a third of patients were exposed to at least one potential drug interaction.
The researchers identified 276 drug combinations with the potential to interact.
About nine percent of the interactions considered of major severity–risk of death–and 77 percent of moderate severity–risk of serious health problems.
About eight percent of the patients received duplicate medications.
The authors suggest that cancer patients be routinely screened for potential drug interactions.
Read the full report.
