Evaluation of Handling, Storage, and Disposal Practices of Oral Anticancer Medications among Cancer Patients at Home Setting

Oral anticancer medicines are frequently administered to patients with cancer. Regrettably, many medications are administered without appropriate recommendations about handling practices. This study aims to assess the handling, storage, and disposal practices of oral anticancer medication among cancer patients at home. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024 on adult cancer patients who were administered oral anticancer at the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Center in Iraq using pre-validated questionnaire. In total, 300 patients were interviewed, with (57%) being male and approximately (47%) falling within the age range of 40 to 60 years. Regarding handling practices, most patients (96.7%) never wore gloves. Among all patient, (53.3%) reported "Never" washing their hands after taking oral anticancer medications. Additionally, (90%) of the patients indicated that they had never received information on the proper handling and storage of oral anticancer medications. Concerning storage practices, almost all (97-99%) of participating patients kept their anticancer medicines away from the reach of children and pets, away from extreme cold/heat, and kept them in their original containers. Storage of oral anticancer drugs in the fridge was reported by (24%) of the patients. Concerning disposal practices, most participating patients (86%) reported not having any expired, unused, or extra medicines. However, (8.3%) of patients dispose of unused medicines in the trash, while (4%) return them to either the medical clinic or the pharmacy, and (0.7%) flush them down the toilet. Patients of younger age were significantly more likely to dispose of extra/expired oral anticancer medications in the trash than other age groups. The current findings of this study propose that patients' practices of handling oral anticancer medicines contradict the published recommendations. Consequently, there is a need for proper and comprehensive education through the use of different formats (written, video, and verbal) to reduce the risks associated with exposure to these medications at home.