Department of Medicine, Sections of Geriatrics/Palliative Medicine and Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Cancer. 2012 Oct 1;118(19):4815-23. doi: 10.1002/cncr.27427. Epub 2012 Feb 22.
Little is known about complementary medication use among older adults with cancer, particularly those who are receiving chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of complementary medication use and to identify the factors associated with its use among older adults with cancer.
The prevalence of complementary medication use (defined as herbal agents, minerals, or other dietary supplements, excluding vitamins) was evaluated in a cohort of adults aged ≥65 years who were about to start chemotherapy for their cancer. The associations between complementary medication use and patient characteristics (sociodemographics; comorbidities; and functional, nutritional, psychological, and cognitive status), medication use (number of medications and concurrent vitamin use), and cancer characteristics (type and stage) were analyzed.
The cohort included 545 patients (mean age, 73 years; range, 65-91 years; 52% women) with cancer (61% stage IV). Seventeen percent of these patients (N = 93) reported using ≥1 complementary medication; the mean number of complementary medications among users was 2 (range, 1-10 medications). Complementary medication use was associated with 1) earlier cancer stage (29% had stage I-II disease vs 17% with stage III-IV disease; odds ratio [OR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-3.49) and 2) less impairment with instrumental activities of daily living (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.12-1.73).
Complementary medication use was reported by 17% of older adults with cancer and was more common among those who had less advanced disease (i.e., those receiving adjuvant, potentially curative treatment) and higher functional status. Further studies are needed to determine the association between complementary medication use and cancer outcomes among older adults.
对于癌症老年患者（尤其是正在接受化疗的患者）补充药物的使用情况知之甚少。本研究旨在评估癌症老年患者补充药物的使用情况，并确定其使用的相关因素。
评估了一组年龄≥65 岁、即将开始癌症化疗的成年人补充药物（定义为草药、矿物质或其他膳食补充剂，不包括维生素）的使用情况。分析了补充药物的使用与患者特征（社会人口统计学；合并症；以及功能、营养、心理和认知状况）、药物使用（药物数量和同时使用维生素）和癌症特征（类型和阶段）之间的关联。
该队列包括 545 名（平均年龄 73 岁；范围 65-91 岁；52%为女性）癌症患者（61%为 IV 期）。其中 17%（N=93）的患者报告使用了≥1 种补充药物；使用者平均使用 2 种补充药物（范围 1-10 种药物）。补充药物的使用与以下因素有关：1）癌症分期较早（29%的患者为 I-II 期疾病，而 17%的患者为 III-IV 期疾病；优势比[OR]，2.05；95%置信区间[CI]，1.21-3.49）和 2）日常生活活动的工具性活动受损程度较轻（OR，1.39；95% CI，1.12-1.73）。
17%的癌症老年患者报告使用了补充药物，且在疾病分期较低（即接受辅助、潜在治愈性治疗）和功能状态较高的患者中更为常见。需要进一步的研究来确定癌症老年患者补充药物的使用与癌症结局之间的关系。
