Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19591526›Full record

ArticleDrugs & aging2009

Medication problems in older, newly diagnosed cancer patients in Canada: How common are they? A prospective pilot study.

Martine T E Puts, Beatriz Costa-Lima, Johanne Monette, Veronique Girre, Christina Wolfson, Gerald Batist, Howard Bergman

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Drugs & aging, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Senior adult oncology.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2012
    Guideline
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Observational
  16. Review
  17. Potential Medication-Related Problems in Older Breast, Colon, and Lung Cancer Patients in the United States.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2018
    Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Definition of Unfit for Standard Acute Myeloid Leukemia Therapy.Current hematologic malignancy reports · 2016
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Martine T E PutsLady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. martine.puts@mail.mcgill.ca
Beatriz Costa-Lima
Johanne Monette
Veronique Girre
Christina Wolfson
Gerald Batist
Howard Bergman
Jewish General Hospital · CAMcGill University · CAInstitut Curie · FR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrescribing for older patients is challenging and complex. Cancer patients are at a considerable increased risk of drug-related problems because they typically receive a large number of medications during their cancer treatment, both for the cancer itself and for supportive care. Few studies have examined the scope of this problem in older newly diagnosed cancer patients.

objectiveTo investigate the number and severity of potential drug problems and factors associated with the occurrence of potential drug problems in older newly diagnosed cancer patients.

methodsThis prospective pilot study was conducted in newly diagnosed cancer patients aged > or =65 years recruited in the Segal Cancer Centre, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Vigilance Santé software was used to identify the presence and type of potential drug problems. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with the presence of one or more severe or moderately severe potential drug problems.

resultsThere were 112 participants with a mean age of 74.2 years, and 70% were women. A total of 103 patients (92%) were taking medications. The median number of medications per patient was 5 (interquartile range 3-9) and a total of 247 potential drug problems were identified. Sixty-four patients (62.1%) had a potential drug problem of any level of severity and 49 patients had a potential moderate/severe drug problem identified (47.6%). Two (0.8%) potential drug problems of the most severe level were identified, 122 warnings (49.4%) of all potential problems were of moderate severity and 123 warnings (49.8%) were at the least severe level. Factors associated with having one or more moderate/severe potential drug problems were taking five or more drugs and age > or =76 years.

conclusionThe majority of older newly diagnosed cancer patients in this study were taking at least one medication and the median number of medications per patient was 5. Published studies have shown that medication problems are common in community-dwelling older persons, but they are mostly of low severity. In this group of older newly diagnosed cancer patients, potential medication problems were also found to be common; however, half of the potential problems identified were of moderate severity.

Indexed as

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting SystemsAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsAntineoplastic AgentsCanadaDrug InteractionsFemaleHospitals, GeneralHumansMaleNeoplasmsPilot ProjectsPolypharmacyProspective StudiesAntineoplastic Agents

Identifiers

PMID19591526
OpenAlexW2055473369

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.