Evaluation of Cancer Prevalence and Cytotoxic Medication Prescribing in Central Region of Nepal

Abstract

In this study, our objective was to evaluate the cancer prevalence and inpatient prescribing pattern of cytotoxic medicines in one of the major tertiary care hospitals for cancer treatment in the central region of Nepal. A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. A modified data collection form was used to collect information on patient demographics and prescribed drugs. Females were found to be more susceptible to cancer than males. 58 different types of cancer were observed, with reproductive, respiratory, and digestive cancers being prevalent. A total of 427 cytotoxic drugs were prescribed. The alkylating agent group of cytotoxics was the most frequently prescribed one (45.67%). The average number of drugs prescribed per prescription, cytotoxic drugs per prescription, antibiotics per prescription, and other drugs per prescription were 10.77, 1.78, 0.37, and 8.99 respectively. The cytotoxic drugs were prescribed by brand names according to hospital policy. The drugs prescribed from the World Health Organization (WHO) model list of essential drugs and the essential drug list of Nepal were 67.40% and 73.72% respectively. The percentage of encounters with antibiotics and injections prescribed were 31.25% and 100% respectively.