Patterns and related factors of chemotherapy-induced toxicities/ adverse drug reactions among children with cancer treated at Bugando Medical Centre A retrospective study.
Patterns and related factors of chemotherapy-induced toxicities/ adverse drug reactions among children with cancer treated at Bugando Medical Centre A retrospective study. - Mwanza, Tanzania | Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS-Bugando] | 2024. - Includes References
Abstract:
Background: Due to its complex nature, chemotherapy, a cancer treatment method, is prone to causing chemotherapy induced toxicities, that impact treatment success and quality of life. This study aimed to investigate toxicities associated with chemotherapy and their contributing factors among paediatric cancer patients attended at Bugando Medical Centre a referral hospital. Understanding the patterns and associated factors of these toxicities due to chemotherapy is crucial for improved management.
Methodology: The study was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre. It was a retrospective study which analyses medical records of paediatrics cancer patients treated at the hospital from January 2019 to December 2023 over a one-month period from April 1 to April 28, 2024, so as to identify patterns and factors related to chemotherapy-induced toxicities among 243 paediatric cancer patients. The data were entered into Microsoft excel version 2016 for cleaning and then exported to STATA version 15 for analysis. To identify associations of variables with the occurrence of toxicities, Chi-square analysis and multivariate regression analysis were performed and variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: Out of the 243 paediatric cancer patients analysed, 90.53% experienced chemotherapy-induced reactions. The occurrence of toxicities due to chemotherapy was significantly associated with use of combined regimens of chemotherapeutic agents particularly doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, cisplatin, carboplatin and mercaptopurine. Of the reported reactions, hematologic and gastrointestinal reactions were most frequently reported in patients’ files.
Conclusion: Chemotherapy Induced toxicities were prevalent in this study, impacting over 90% of the cancer patients, particular those receiving combined treatment regimens. Consequently, effective strategies for preventing and managing these reactions should be prioritized for paediatric cancer patients undergoing combined therapies."
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-- Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice