Concurrent Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions among Older Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Menée à partir des données des registres américains des cancers et de la base Medicare sur la période 2012-2016, cette étude de cohorte rétrospective analyse les facteurs associés aux prescriptions concomitantes d'opioïdes et de benzodiazépines chez des patientes atteintes d'un cancer du sein (19 267 cas), dans l'année suivant le diagnostic
Guidelines recommend using caution in co-prescribing opioids with benzodiazepines yet, in practice, the extent of concurrent prescribing is poorly understood. Notably, no population-based studies have investigated concurrent prescribing among patients with cancer. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using SEER-Medicare data (2012-2016) for women diagnosed with breast cancer. We used modified Poisson regression to examine predictors of any concurrent prescriptions in the year post-diagnosis, and Poisson regression to examine predictors of the number of overlapping days. We found that 13.0% of the 19,267 women in our sample had concurrent prescriptions. Women who underwent more extensive treatment and those with prior use of opioids or benzodiazepines were at increased risk for concurrent prescriptions (aRR prior benzodiazepine use vs. no prior use:15.05, 95% CI:13.19-17.19). Among women with concurrent prescriptions, overlap was most pronounced among low-income, rural and Hispanic women (aIRR Hispanic vs. Non-Hispanic White:1.25, 95% CI:1.20-1.30). Our results highlight opportunities to reduce patients’ unnecessary exposure to this combination.