Association of potentially inappropriate medications with prognosis among older patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are common among older adults with cancer, but their association with overall survival (OS) among non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of PIMs and OS in patients with NSCLC. Methods In this cohort study, we included patients ≥ 65 years with newly diagnosed NSCLC from January 2014 to December 2020. Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) is defined by the Beers criteria of 2019 at baseline and within six months following the initiation of systemic therapy. Multivariable Cox regression model was built to assess the association between PIMs and overall survival (OS). Results We finally included 338 patients with a median follow-up for OS of 1777 days. The prevalence of patients receiving at least one PIM was 39.9% (135/338) and 61.2% (71/116) at baseline and after systemic therapy, respectively. The most important factor associated with PIM use was the number of prescribed medications (P < 0.001). Baseline PIM use and PIM after systemic therapy were significantly associated with inferior OS (476 days vs. 844 days, P = 0.044; and 633 days vs. 1600 days, P = 0.007; respectively). In multivariable analysis, both baseline PIM use and PIM after systemic therapy were independent predictors of poor prognosis (adjusted HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.01–1.75; P = 0.041; and adjusted HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.11–3.14; P = 0.020; respectively). Conclusions PIMs are prevalent among older patients with NSCLC and are independent predictors of NSCLC prognosis. There is an urgent need for clinicians to conduct medication reconciliation and appropriate deprescribing for this population, especially for patients with multiple PIMs.

Keywords

• Non-small cell lung cancer
• Potentially inappropriate medications
• Older
• Overall survival