[Defined cyclic doses (DCD)--a proposal for the application of the DDD method to the antineoplastic group]

The establishment and implementation of defined daily doses (DDD) has provided a useful tool to compare drug consumption studies on regional as well as international level. One of the limitations of the concept so far is the fact that according to the definition of the DDD there are no DDDs for certain groups of drugs like antineoplastic drugs. In order to close that methodological gap we suggest a special technical unit of measurement with regard to the therapeutical routine of application of antineoplastic drugs: the defined cycle dosis (DCD). That the DCD can be applied to comparing the consumption of antineoplastic drugs in principle is shown by means of statistical data covering the years from 1983 to 1988 in East Germany.