title: Drug dispensings among elderly in the year before colon cancer diagnosis versus matched cancer-free controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The concomitant use of multiple drugs is common among the general population of elderly. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of which drugs are dispensed to elderly in the year before colon cancer diagnosis and to compare this with cancer-free controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry were linked to the PHARMO Database Network. Patients with colon cancer aged ≥70 years were included and matched with controls on gender, year of birth and postal code. Proportions of cases and controls with ≥1 dispensing of each WHO ATC-2-level drug during the total year and during each quarter of the year were calculated and differences between cases and controls tested.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proportion of cases with ≥1 drug dispensing was highest for drugs for constipation (cases vs. controls 58% vs. 10%), antithrombotics (42% vs. 33%), drugs for acid-related disorders (35% vs. 22%), antibacterials (34% vs. 24%), agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system (33% vs. 27%), beta-blockers (33% vs. 23%), lipid-modifying agents (29% vs. 22%), diuretics (29% vs. 21%), psycholeptics (25% vs. 18%) and antianaemics (23% vs. 6%). The proportion of cases with ≥1 drug dispensing increased from the first to the last quarter of the year for drugs for constipation (7%-53%), drugs for acid-related disorders (16%-27%), antibacterials (12%-16%), beta-blockers (26%-28%), psycholeptics (15%-19%) and antianaemics (6%-18%). Elevated proportions of cases with ≥1 drug dispensing for several drugs are mostly related to comorbidity, although increasing proportions of cases with ≥1 drug dispensing for certain drugs during the year can be attributed to the incidence of colon cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have provided insight into which drugs are commonly used in the year preceding colon cancer diagnosis. This may trigger general practitioners and medical specialists to further evaluate the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), Eindhoven, The Netherlands.|Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: van Erning
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), Eindhoven, The Netherlands.|Department of Internal Medicine, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Zanders
authors.affiliation: PHARMO Institute for Drug Outcomes Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kuiper
authors.affiliation: PHARMO Institute for Drug Outcomes Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: van Herk-Sukel
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|General Practice Emmers, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: de Feyter
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Máxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van de Poll
authors.affiliation: Department of Research, Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), Eindhoven, The Netherlands.|Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: V E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Lemmens
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019338:Polypharmacy
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: colon cancer; drug dispensing; elderly; polypharmacy