RESUMEN
Aim: To evaluate polypharmacy (PP) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving regorafenib. Methods: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving regorafenib were included and divided into two categories by their PP status: PP- (<5 regular drug use/day) and PP+ (≥5 regular drug use/day). Results: 80 patients were included. 31 (38.7%) patients had PP. The median number of drugs used was three and seven in PP- and PP+ patients, respectively. Antiemetics (26.5%) and antacids (48.4%) were the most common drugs used by PP- and PP+ patients, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the risk of death was higher in PP+ patients (hazard ratio: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.7; p = 0.005). Conclusion: PP was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving regorafenib.
Regorafenib is a targeted therapy option that is used in patients with chemotherapy-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer. Because of the chemotherapy-refractory stage of the disease, patients are prone to use more medications for symptom palliation. Polypharmacy (PP) refers to the drug burden in an individual, and the use of five or more drugs in a day is usually considered to represent PP. In this study, the authors assessed the impact of PP in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with regorafenib. The authors' study found that PP had a negative impact on survival outcomes in these patients. This is why inappropriate drug use should be assessed at each visit and the medication discontinued if it is not an essential part of the treatment.