Evaluating the appropriateness of chemotherapy in a low-resource cancer centre in sub-Saharan Africa.
Cancer Med
; 9(1): 133-140, 2020 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31721474
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
To evaluate the appropriateness of chemotherapy use at the Oncology Department of the Bugando Medical Centre of Mwanza, Tanzania.METHODS:
The study was an observational prevalence-based study designed to evaluate a single-chemotherapy cycle during a defined time period for a cross-section of patients at varying stages of their clinical history. The sample included 103 consecutive subjects who were treated during January-March 2017 and had at least one previous cycle. Chemotherapy treatment omissions, cycle delays, and dose reductions and their causes were recorded using a standard form that included demographic, anthropometric, and clinical items. The data were analyzed descriptively.RESULTS:
There were 59 males (57.3%) and 44 females (42.7%). Ninety-four patients were aged ≥18 years. Considering cancer type/site, there were 23 distinct groups of patients. The recorded number of drugs in the chemotherapy regimens varied between one and five. The median cycle number was three (range 2-11). Sixty-eight (66.0%) patients were treated in a standard fashion. For the remaining, cycle delay and dose reduction were the most common cause for nonstandard treatment. Hematologic toxicity was responsible for the greater part of cycle delays, whereas dose reductions were accounted for by a larger spectrum of causes. Overall, toxicity explained 21/35 (60.0%) patients receiving nonstandard treatment. The distribution of toxic events was skewed toward grade 1 and grade 2.CONCLUSIONS:
The observed level of appropriateness of chemotherapy was encouraging. The proportion of patients experiencing severe toxic effects was lower than expected.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Institutos de Câncer
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica
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Efeitos Colaterais e Reações Adversas Relacionados a Medicamentos
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Recursos em Saúde
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Neoplasias
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Child
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cancer Med
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Itália