Assessment of polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medications, and drug-drug interactions in older patients with cancer.

This study focused on assessing polypharmacy, potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs) among elderly cancer patients hospitalized in the oncology services of a university hospital in Turkey. Using the 2023 Beers Criteria of the American Geriatrics Society to define PIMs and the Medscape® drug interaction checker for PDDIs, the study found that 74.3% of patients experienced polypharmacy, 51.4% had PIMs—most commonly diuretics, metoclopramide, antidepressants, and opioids—and 70% had at least one PDDI, with 57.5% classified as major. The presence of comorbidities, including mental, circulatory, and respiratory disorders, was significantly higher in patients with PIMs. The findings highlight the importance of multidisciplinary medication review, including clinical pharmacists, to identify and manage PIMs and PDDIs in elderly oncology patients to mitigate adverse outcomes.