Polypharmacy and quality of life in Yemeni cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A cross-sectional study
- 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Medical Science and Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Sana’a, Yemen
Abstract
Polypharmacy is common among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy due to the need for multiple supportive medications. This study assessed the prevalence of non-oncological polypharmacy and its association with quality of life (QoL) among adult cancer patients in Yemen. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1st December 2025 and 23rd February 2026 at the National Oncology Centre in Sana’a, Yemen. Adult patients (≥18 years) receiving chemotherapy were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and medical record review. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥5 non-oncological medications and excessive polypharmacy as ≥10 medications. QoL was assessed using the Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-C30. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-tests, and multiple linear regression using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Among 234 participants, 63.2% were female and 47.6% were aged 31–50 years. Polypharmacy was highly prevalent: 94.9% used ≥5 non-oncological medications and 56.4% ≥ 10. Mean global QoL was 47.9 (SD 26.7). Patients reported substantial financial difficulties (mean 82.3), fatigue (61.1), and pain (59.6). QoL did not differ significantly between excessive polypharmacy groups (mean difference −3.35; 95% CI −10.58 to 3.87; p = 0.361). In multivariable analyses, female gender independently predicted lower QoL (B = −10.13; 95% CI: −18.19 to −2.07; p = 0.014) and higher non-oncological medication use (B = 1.18; 95% CI: 0.25 to 2.10; p = 0.013). Age ≥ 51 years and illiteracy showed borderline associations with lower QoL, while all other variables, including excessive polypharmacy (≥10 non-oncological medications), were not significantly associated with QoL. Non-oncological Polypharmacy is highly prevalent among Yemeni cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Although medication burden was substantial, it was not independently associated with QoL, whereas female gender predicted poorer outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{aljamei2026polypharmacy,
title = {{Polypharmacy and quality of life in Yemeni cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A cross-sectional study}},
author = {Sayida Al-Jamei and Haneen Al-ansi and Malak Albiel and Enas Al-Awadhi and Shaima Jihad and Amal Noman and Fadwa Alhayani and Rehab Alarhabi},
journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0006281},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006281},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Polypharmacy and quality of life in Yemeni cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: A cross-sectional study
AU - Sayida Al-Jamei
AU - Haneen Al-ansi
AU - Malak Albiel
AU - Enas Al-Awadhi
AU - Shaima Jihad
AU - Amal Noman
AU - Fadwa Alhayani
AU - Rehab Alarhabi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
JO - PLOS Global Public Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006281
UR - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006281
AB - Polypharmacy is common among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy due to the need for multiple supportive medications. This study assessed the prevalence of non-oncological polypharmacy and its association with quality of life (QoL) among adult cancer patients in Yemen. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1st December 2025 and 23rd February 2026 at the National Oncology Centre in Sana’a, Yemen. Adult patients (≥18 years) receiving chemotherapy were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and medical record review. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥5 non-oncological medications and excessive polypharmacy as ≥10 medications. QoL was assessed using the Arabic version of the EORTC QLQ-C30. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-tests, and multiple linear regression using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27. Among 234 participants, 63.2% were female and 47.6% were aged 31–50 years. Polypharmacy was highly prevalent: 94.9% used ≥5 non-oncological medications and 56.4% ≥ 10. Mean global QoL was 47.9 (SD 26.7). Patients reported substantial financial difficulties (mean 82.3), fatigue (61.1), and pain (59.6). QoL did not differ significantly between excessive polypharmacy groups (mean difference −3.35; 95% CI −10.58 to 3.87; p = 0.361). In multivariable analyses, female gender independently predicted lower QoL (B = −10.13; 95% CI: −18.19 to −2.07; p = 0.014) and higher non-oncological medication use (B = 1.18; 95% CI: 0.25 to 2.10; p = 0.013). Age ≥ 51 years and illiteracy showed borderline associations with lower QoL, while all other variables, including excessive polypharmacy (≥10 non-oncological medications), were not significantly associated with QoL. Non-oncological Polypharmacy is highly prevalent among Yemeni cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Although medication burden was substantial, it was not independently associated with QoL, whereas female gender predicted poorer outcomes.
SN - 2767-3375
ER -