Patients' Adherence to Capecitabine Treatment Is Affected by The Drug-Related Adverse Effects Rather Than by Their Sociodemographic Characteristics

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most prevalent cancer worldwide as 1.80 million new cases of the cancer were diagnosed, and 862,000 patients died in 2018. Depending on the stage, upfront surgery is the main form of treatment, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Despite the importance of patients' adherence while they are on anti-cancer treatment, there was no published data in the literature evaluating this vital parameter concerning Iraqi patients receiving anti-cancer drugs, in general, or those on Capecitabine, in particular. Methods: A cross-sectional, open-label prospective study was conducted at Al-Amal and Oncology Teaching Hospitals, Baghdad during the period from November 2021 to June 2022. A convenient sampling method was adopted to enrol patients in the current study. Assessment of adherence to capecitabine treatment was done using Morisky Medication-Taking Adherence Scale (MMAS). Results: Generalized fatigue was the most common adverse event as it presented in 63.7% of participants. Also, only 6.9% of participants had abnormal renal function tests. In addition, most of participants showed low-moderate adherence to capecitabine treatment. Conclusion: The extent of adherence to capecitabine treatment by colorectal cancer seems to be more sensitive to capecitabine-related adverse effects rather than to patients’ sociodemographic characteristics.