UNASSIGNED: e19501 Background: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication ( @entity20571 ) use are common among older adults. The goals of this study were: 1) to evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy and @entity20571 ) to determine the relationship between polypharmacy and @entity20571 use with chemotherapy-related @entity137 ( @entity137 ) in an outpatient population of older adults with @entity5 ( @entity5 ). METHODS: We evaluated polypharmacy in 500 @entity1 age >= 65 years with @entity5 who were starting a new chemotherapy (chemo) regimen. Polypharmacy was defined by an increased number of medications (meds) taken daily (>= 5 meds) based on a prior consensus study (Hajjar et al. 2003). @entity20571 use was defined by 3 indices: the Beers criteria, the Zhan criteria, and the HEDIS Drugs to Avoid in the Elderly (DAE) list. We assessed the baseline frequency of polypharmacy and @entity20571 use, and analyzed their association with the following outcomes utilizing bivariate analyses: grade 3-5 chemo-related @entity137 [NCI Common @entity137 Criteria (v3.0)], hospitalizations during chemo, and chemo modifications (delays, dose reductions, early discontinuation). RESULTS: 500 @entity1 were evaluable [mean age, 73 years (range 65-91); 57% female; 61% stage IV]. The mean number of daily meds per @entity1 was 5 (SD 3.5; range 0-23), with 239 (48%) taking >= 5 meds. @entity1 taking >5 meds (vs. <5 meds) were more likely to be older (mean, 74 vs. 72 years; P=0.01), male (48% vs. 38%; P=0.04), and married (67% vs. 54%; P<0.01). We identified @entity20571 use in 89 (18%), 53 (11%), and 68 (14%) @entity1 utilizing the Beers criteria, the Zhan criteria, and the HEDIS DAE list, respectively. We did not find an association between the presence of polypharmacy (P=0.353) or @entity20571 use (P=0.350) and any grade 3-5 @entity137 . However, there was an association between presence of polypharmacy and increased incidence of: 1) hospitalization while undergoing chemo (P<0.01); and 2) early discontinuation of chemo (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy and @entity20571 use are common in the geriatric oncology population. While polypharmacy did not increase the risk of chemo @entity137 in this cohort, it was associated with a higher frequency of other clinically important adverse events such as hospitalization and early chemo discontinuation.

Polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medications, and chemotherapy-related adverse events among older adults with XXXX .

@entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancer', 'CA'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity137 :: ('MESH:D064420', 'Disease') :: ['toxicity', 'Toxicity', 'tox'] @entity20571 :: ('5292', 'Gene') :: ['PIM', 'PIM use and 2']
@entity5 :: (MESH:D009369,Disease) :: ['cancer']
