Prescribing patterns in breast cancer survivors: A Korean National Health Insurance Service cohort study

Abstract

Purpose: Breast cancer survivors often manifest comorbidities that require medication management. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns of drugs prescribed frequently among breast cancer survivors and to provide data to monitor adverse effects using other covariates in these patients. Materials and methods: We analyzed a Korean national sample cohort database. The diagnosis of breast cancer, survival, survival duration, and frequency of drug prescription were first defined and extracted. We then analyzed the frequency of drug prescription in breast cancer by survival duration. Factors associated with drug prescribing patterns were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 2,410 breast cancer survivors, anti-hormonal agents, gastrointestinal drugs, calcium, and anxiolytics were most frequently prescribed. Gastrointestinal disturbance and depression are most commonly observed among breast cancer survivors. Survivors who were 3 to < 5 years post treatment were frequently prescribed calcium. In addition to gastrointestinal drugs, anxiolytics were frequently prescribed among survivors manifesting comorbidities. In addition to anti-hormone agents, which were frequently prescribed to breast cancer patients, gastrointestinal drugs were the second most frequently prescribed, and anxiolytics were often co-prescribed. Calcium was also frequently co-prescribed in patients requiring anti-depressants. Conclusion: In the Korean National Cohort, gastrointestinal drugs, calcium, and anxiolytics were frequently prescribed to older patients, suggesting that older patients diagnosed with cancer experience a wide array of toxicities requiring supportive care.