[Adverse effects of anticancer drugs: apropos of a pharmacovigilance study at a specialized oncology institution].

We investigated the frequency of ADRs occurring during one year (1995) in a French regional cancer institute. Patients with at least one ADR leading to or occurring during hospitalization in the institute were identified by searching diagnosis codes potentially related to an adverse drug reaction in the hospital medical database of the PMSI (Programme de médicalisation des Systèmes d'Information). We found 435 hospitalizations relative to 285 patients (6.2 per cent of the whole population of inpatients in 1995 and 3.1 per cent of stays in 1995). The total cost to treat ADRs was 1.7 per cent of the total budget of the hospital with a median cost of 8517 francs (mean cost: 13,271 +/- 15,330 francs). The highest cost was due to medical staff, blood transfusions, and anti-infectious drugs, despite the use of prophylactic agents. These results emphasize the high incidence and excess costs of ADRs related to anticancer chemotherapy.