title: Use of unnecessary medications by patients with advanced cancer: cross-sectional survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer patients at the end of life take numerous medications. However, it has not been assessed what proportion of patients take unnecessary medications and which patients are at risk for doing so.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey of medications utilized by terminally ill ambulatory cancer patients, with the aim of identifying medications considered unnecessary as per explicit criteria. The criteria took into account whether drugs could benefit patients with terminal cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 87 patients, 21 (24%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 15.6-34.5%) were taking at least one unnecessary medication, the most common being gastric protectors. In multivariable analyses, patients with Charlson Comobidity Index≤1 (OR: 4.49, CI95% 1.32-15.26; p=0.01) or whose medication list had not been reconciled by physicians (OR: 6.38, CI95% 1.21-33.40; p=0.02) were more likely to use an unnecessary medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with advanced cancer take many medications considered unnecessary. Medication reconciliation should be performed routinely for these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, ABC School of Medicine, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fede
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: Daniella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Antonangelo
authors.forename: Ligia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trevizan
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schaffhausser
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hamermesz
authors.forename: Camile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Auro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Giglio
authors.forename: Rachel P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Riechelmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059065:Medication Reconciliation / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019452:Terminally Ill