A prospective observational study of chemotherapy-induced adverse drug reaction and the quality of life in cancer patients in a tertiary care hospital

Aim: The aim was to study the pattern of adverse drug reaction (ADR) provoked by anticancer therapy and to assess the quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Tamil Nadu on 75 patients from February to July 2019 taking into account their demographic profile, ADR occurrence and its causality, outcome, organ system-wise distribution of ADRs, and others. The causality assessment was done by using Naranjo's scale and QoL was assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale. The QoL was compared in any two consecutive cycles between the 2nd and 5th cycles of chemotherapy. Results: Out of the 75 patients, 17 male and 56 female patients developed ADR. A total of 228 ADRs were observed in 73 patients. The most commonly occurred ADR was nausea and vomiting (45%) and the most commonly affected system was gastrointestinal tract (37%). According to causality assessment, the ADR that occurred falls mostly in the category of probable (66.7%) followed by possible (29.3%) and the outcome of the ADR was mostly recovering (49.3%). The QoL was higher in females and in the age group of 40-49 years. The physical and emotional well-being of the patient were affected more. The overall QoL was improved in the 2nd visit when compared to the 1st visit. Conclusion: Cancer is known to cause a significant impact on the health and socioeconomics of a nation. To boost the QoL in patients, it is essential to identify and manage the ADRs by taking appropriate measures to promote judicious use of drugs.

Automated summary

The study aimed to investigate adverse drug reactions (ADRs) caused by anticancer therapy and assess quality of life in cancer patients. The results showed that nausea and vomiting were the most common ADRs, with gastrointestinal tract being the most affected system. Most ADRs were categorized as probable and many patients recovered from the ADRs. QoL was higher in females and the 40-49 age group, with an overall improvement in QoL during the second visit.