Prescription Pattern Analysis of Women with Breast Cancer: A Single Center Experience in Bangladesh

Abstract

There is a dearth of information on the analysis of drug use in breast cancer patients, despite the fact that breast cancer (BC) is an increasing public health concern for both developed and developing countries. This study on the use of anti-cancer medications by BC patients took place at the Labaid Cancer Hospital and Super Specialty Center in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Here, treatment orders, the treatment patterns for BC patients were assessed in a descriptive-observational study. The study enrolled 150 breast cancer patients in total who met the inclusion criteria. The bulk of the patients who were enrolled were female (100%) and in the age range of 36 to 49 (54%). As a risk factor for the onset of BC, the family history was shown to be insignificant. 60 percent of cases of BC were ductal infiltrating, 30 percent were ductal invasive, and 8 percent were metastatic. Estrogen and progesterone positive tumors affected 6% and 4% of these individuals, respectively, while HER2 positive tumors affected 8% of them. Cyclophosphamide (68%) and doxorubicin (60%) were the two most commonly given antineoplastic drugs. About 58% of patients underwent surgery, whereas 42% underwent radiation. Breast ultrasound, breast mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and biopsy are the most often prescribed diagnostic tests. Filgrastim (4%) and other supportive drugs, along with dexamethasone (22%), ondansetron (28%), palonosetron (4%), esomeprazole (44%) and pantoprazole (26%) were also used.According to this study, taxanes, anthracycline derivatives, and alkylating agents were the most common treatments given to BC patients. Additionally, to reduce toxicities brought on by chemotherapy, supportive care medications such as dexamethasone, ondansetron, and pantoprazole were given to the majority of patients in addition to filgrastim. To have a comprehensive understanding of the prescribing patterns of BC patients, further research of the same kind with a larger sample size is necessary. Keywords: Breast cancer, Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, Supportive care