Prevalence and Partern of Early Adverse Reactions in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy at Ocean Road Cancer Institute

Abstract

The major challenge in the management of cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy regimens is the manifestation of adverse drug reactions which may be very unpleasant. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of early adverse reactions in cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy at Ocean Road Cancer Institute. This was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study on patients who were on chemotherapy, either alone or in combination with radiation and/ or surgery. SPSS for descriptive purposes was used to analyze the data. A total of 80 patients were recruited for the study, 64 (80%) inpatients and 16 (20%) outpatients. Seventy-six (95%) out the 80 patients developed adverse reactions. The early manifestation of adverse drug reactions which occurred within 3 days of starting chemotherapy were: fatigue in 66 (82.5%), nausea in 58 (72.5%), loss of appetite in 58 (72.5%) and mouth sores in 28 (35%) of the patients. Those after 2-3 weeks included hair loss in 39 (48.8%) and lower abdominal pain in 52 (65%) of the patients, and 50 (62.5%) of the patients developed anemia. Most of the patients on chemotherapy for cancer developed adverse reactions, which are variable in type and severity. The early detection of these ADRs helped to modify the drug dosage or the drug regimen.