Table 2.
Oncologists' Experiences With Shortages of Specific Drugs
| Drug | Any Experience With Shortage |
Needed to Use Equally Effective Alternative |
Needed to Use Less Effective Alternative |
Not Affected by Shortage |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | Mean No. of Patients Affected* | SD | No. | % | Mean No. of Patients Affected* | SD | No. | % | Mean No. of Patients Affected* | SD | No. | % | |
| Any drug | 245 | 74 | 15.6 | 28.1 | 201 | 61 | 14.9 | 26.7 | 92 | 28 | 8.8 | 19.8 | 85 | 26 |
| Leucovorin | 216 | 66 | 13.1 | 14.3 | 167 | 51 | 13.2 | 12.5 | 49 | 15 | 11.6 | 17.6 | 101 | 31 |
| Fluorouracil | 68 | 21 | 9.2 | 12.6 | 57 | 17 | 8.1 | 9.1 | 11 | 3 | 13.0 | 14.7 | 252 | 76 |
| Dexamethasone† | 51 | 16 | 25.6 | 46.5 | 35 | 11 | 29.8 | 52.4 | 16 | 5 | 11.9 | 10.2 | 272 | 82 |
| Cyanocobalamin† | 42 | 13 | 7.0 | 12.1 | 20 | 6 | 8.1 | 12.2 | 22 | 7 | 5.9 | 12.3 | 277 | 84 |
| Paclitaxel | 35 | 11 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 26 | 8 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 9 | 3 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 285 | 86 |
| Cisplatin | 27 | 8 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 13 | 4 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 14 | 4 | 5.6 | 7.6 | 293 | 89 |
| Etoposide | 27 | 8 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 12 | 4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 15 | 5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 295 | 89 |
Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.
*
Among patients of the physician reporting any experience with the shortage or needing to use an alternative.
†
Supportive medication.