A cross-sectional curvey study on the correlation between irrational drug use in diabetic patients and the occurrence of malignant tumors.

BACKGROUND

With an increase in morbidity of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), to investigate the impact of inadequate prescription practices and medication habits on tumor-related risk factors.

METHODS

We analyzed data from 2114 patients with T2DM treated at our hospital from January 2019 to September 2022. The Medication Adherence Report Scale-5 items (MARS-5) and medication possession ratio (MPR) were used to assess medication use. Variables considered included diabetes duration, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, hypoglycemic drug regimens, and instances of irrational drug use. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were employed to identify risk factors associated with drug use in both the tumor and control groups, with a specific focus on lung cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 766 (36.23%) malignant tumors were identified, including 257 (33.55%) in the respiratory system, with 246 (32.11%) cases of lung cancer. Univariate analysis revealed that the use of insulin, combination of metformin with insulin and other oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs), and instances of irrational drug use were significantly associated with malignant tumors in patients with T2DM (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis: HbA1c ≥ 7% was no longer associated with higher tumor(P > 0.05), the irrational drug use is risk factors for high incidence of malignant tumors, (P < 0.001), which included factors such as insufficient dosing (odds ratio [OR]: 4.348; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.709, 6.978), not combined medication (OR: 4.801; 95% CI: 3.484, 6.615), frequent medication changes (OR: 6.056; 95% CI: 4.185, 8.763), poor medication compliance (OR: 3.716; 95% CI: 2.667, 5.179), and wrong timing of administration (OR: 3.792; 95% CI: 2.687, 5.353). Similar in lung cancer.

CONCLUSION

Irrational drug use is a significant risk factor for the development of malignant tumors, particularly lung cancer, is't correlated with abnormal HbA1c levels.