Drug Utilization Study of Anticancer Drugs in Breast Cancer Patients at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

This study aimed to assess the drug utilization of anticancer drugs in breast cancer patients at a tertiary care teaching hospital. The objectives were to identify the most commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic drugs and to study the side-effect profile using the CTCAE grading. A prospective observational study was conducted in the medical oncology department. Data was collected from 93 patients and analyzed for prescribing patterns, drug utilization, and side-effects. The majority of patients were aged 46-55 years (48.38%) and in stage III cancer (62.36%). Luminal B was the most common molecular subtype (35.48%). Neoadjuvant therapy was administered to 59.13% of patients, while 40.86% received adjuvant therapy. Trastuzumab was the most frequently prescribed drug in both neoadjuvant (34.54%) and adjuvant (36.84%) therapies. Ondansetron, aprepitant, dexamethasone, and olanzapine were commonly used as supportive treatments. Side-effects were experienced by 76.34% of patients, with 71.83% having grade 1 and 28.16% having grade 2 side-effects. The most frequent side-effects were nausea, vomiting, and alopecia. The onset of side-effects was highest after the 3rd chemotherapy cycle (28.16%). The study provides valuable information about the prescribing patterns and side-effect profile of anticancer drugs in breast cancer patients