Table 3.
Frequencies of women with breast cancer (n = 185) and women from the reference population (ref. pop.: n = 548) with any face-to-face contact and any drug prescription since breast cancer diagnosis for specific reasons
| Since diagnosis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Patients | Ref. pop. | |
| Women with any face-to-face contact by ICPC chapter/code, n (%) | ||
| General and unspecified (A)*** | 62 (33.5) | 78 (14.2) |
| Blood, blood-forming organs and immune mechanism (B)* | 13 (7.0) | 16 (2.9) |
| Digestive (D) | 40 (21.6) | 92 (16.8) |
| Eye (F) | 10 (5.4) | 34 (6.2) |
| Ear (H) | 12 (6.5) | 51 (9.3) |
| Cardiovascular (K) | 40 (21.6) | 142 (25.9) |
| Musculoskeletal (L) | 69 (37.3) | 188 (34.3) |
| Neurological (N) | 20 (10.8) | 60 (10.9) |
| Psychological (P)* | 34 (18.4) | 64 (11.7) |
| Respiratory (R) | 54 (29.2) | 121 (22.1) |
| Skin (S)** | 65 (35.1) | 135 (24.6) |
| Endocrine, metabolic and nutritional (T) | 18 (9.7) | 48 (8.8) |
| Urological (U) | 13 (7.0) | 34 (6.2) |
| Pregnancy, childbearing and family planning (W)a | 1 (0.5) | 12 (2.2) |
| Female genital (X)*** | 177 (95.7) | 99 (18.1) |
| Breast symptoms (X18–X21)*** | 131 (70.8) | 11 (2.0) |
| Breast cancer (X76)*** | 157 (84.9) | 0 (0.0) |
| Social problems (Z) | 12 (6.5) | 37 (6.8) |
| Women with any drug prescription by ATC chapter/code, n (%) | ||
| Alimentary tract and metabolism (A)*** | 94 (50.8) | 165 (30.1) |
| Drugs for functional gastrointestinal disorders (A03)*** | 34 (18.4) | 16 (2.9) |
| Propulsives (A03F)*** | 31 (16.8) | 10 (1.8) |
| Antiemetics and antinauseants (A04)*** | 24 (13.0) | 2 (0.4) |
| Serotonin (5-HT3) antagonists (A04AA)*** | 24 (13.0) | 2 (0.4) |
| Laxatives (A06)*** | 35 (18.9) | 41 (7.5) |
| Osmotically acting laxatives (A06AD)*** | 27 (14.6) | 28 (5.1) |
| Antidiarrheals, intestinal anti-inflammatory/infective agents (A07)*** | 16 (8.6) | 9 (1.6) |
| Blood and blood-forming organs (B) | 31 (16.8) | 77 (14.1) |
| Cardiovascular system (C) | 72 (38.9) | 206 (37.6) |
| Dermatologicals (D)* | 55 (29.7) | 114 (20.8) |
| Antibiotics and chemotherapeutics for dermatological use (D06)** | 12 (6.5) | 13 (2.4) |
| Genito-urinary system and sex hormones (G)** | 17 (9.2) | 94 (17.2) |
| Sex hormones and modulators of the genital system (G03)** | 9 (4.9) | 79 (14.4) |
| Hormonal contraceptives for systemic use (G03A)** | 3 (1.6) | 43 (7.8) |
| Systemic hormonal preparations, excl. sex hormones and insulins (H)* | 32 (17.3) | 60 (10.9) |
| Corticosteroids for systemic use (H02)* | 22 (11.9) | 34 (6.2) |
| Corticosteroids for systemic use, plain (H02A)* | 22 (11.9) | 34 (6.2) |
| Anti-infectives for systemic use (J)** | 98 (53.0) | 211 (38.5) |
| Antibacterials for systemic use (J01)*** | 77 (41.6) | 134 (24.5) |
| Beta-lactam antibacterials, penicillins (J01C)*** | 35 (18.9) | 45 (8.2) |
| Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (L)*** | 66 (35.7) | 6 (1.1) |
| Endocrine therapy (L02)*** | 65 (35.1) | 0 (0.0) |
| Hormone antagonists and related agents (L02B)*** | 64 (34.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| Anti-estrogens (L02BA)*** | 53 (28.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| Tamoxifen (L02BA01)*** | 53 (28.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| Musculoskeletal system (M) | 50 (27.0) | 145 (26.5) |
| Nervous system (N)*** | 96 (51.9) | 203 (37.0) |
| Analgesics (N02)** | 47 (25.4) | 80 (14.6) |
| Other analgesics and antipyretics (N02B)** | 31 (16.8) | 50 (9.1) |
| Anilides (N02BE)*** | 31 (16.8) | 45 (8.2) |
| Psycholeptics (N05)*** | 81 (43.8) | 133 (24.3) |
| Anxiolytics (N05B)*** | 62 (33.5) | 90 (16.4) |
| Benzodiazepine derivatives (N05BA)*** | 61 (33.0) | 88 (16.1) |
| Hypnotics and sedatives (N05C)*** | 37 (20.0) | 55 (10.0) |
| Benzodiazepine derivatives (N05CD)*** | 37 (20.0) | 53 (9.7) |
| Antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents (P)a | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Respiratory system (R) | 54 (29.2) | 125 (22.8) |
| Sensory organs (S) | 26 (14.1) | 68 (12.4) |
| Various (V)a | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.4) |
Chi-square test, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001
aGroups with an expected count of less than five were not tested with the Chi-square test