Hui, Matthew Ka HoMatthew Ka HoHuiEwig, C. L.-Y.Lee, S. L. K.Leung, A. W. K.Wong, G. L.-H.Li, C. K.Cheung, Y. T.2023-06-022023-06-022022https://repository.sfu.edu.hk/handle/sfu/3879<b>Background</b> Few studies have evaluated the medication burden borne by survivors of pediatric cancer. This study aimed to describe the drug utilization pattern of chronic medications in a cohort of young pediatric cancer survivors. <b>Methods</b> This was a population-based study of patients diagnosed with cancer at age 18 years or younger between 2000 and 2013 in Hong Kong and who had survived at least 5 years postdiagnosis. The primary outcome is the use of any chronic medication (medications that were prescribed for ≥30 consecutive days within a 6-month period). Multivariable log-binomial models were used to identify factors associated with chronic medication use. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to present the cumulative proportion of survivors initiated on a chronic medication across time from cancer diagnosis. <b>Results</b> Of the 2444 survivors (median age = 22 years, interquartile range = 16-27 years), 669 (27.4%) required at least 1 chronic medication at least 5 years postdiagnosis. Survivors who developed a chronic health condition (CHC) had a 5.48 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.49 to 6.71) times higher risk of taking a chronic medication than those without CHC. At 10 years postdiagnosis, the cumulative proportion of survivors being initiated a chronic medication was 33.4% (95% CI = 31.1% to 35.6%) for the overall cohort. Higher cumulative proportions were observed in survivors with endocrine (74.6%, 95% CI = 68.4% to 79.6%), renal (68.8%, 95% CI = 54.2% to 78.7%), neurological (58.6%, 95% CI = 46.1% to 68.1%), and cardiovascular (54.7%, 95% CI = 44.0% to 63.4%) disorders. <b>Conclusion</b> Survivors with certain CHCs had a higher risk of starting a prescription medication in the early phase of survivorship. Future studies include examining the impact of medication burden on survivors’ functional status.enjournal article10.1093/jncics/pkac059