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Home > Diseases and Illnesses > Breast Cancer > Adherence With Oral Meds-...
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Adherence With Oral Meds-An Issue In Breast Cancer "Drugs don't work in patients who don't take them."
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In the battle against breast cancer, patients are increasingly
prescribed oral medications, such as hormonal therapy, to limit the
risk of disease recurrence. Research has indicated that patients should
stay on these drugs for five years to gain maximum benefits.
But recently, the healthcare community has started to ask a question
once limited to managing common colds, not cancer: Do breast cancer
patients take their medications as prescribed?
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 200,000 new cases
of breast cancer are diagnosed every year in the U.S. Of those,
approximately 100,000 have cancer types that are likely to respond to
hormonal therapy. Taking the therapy as prescribed for the full five
years can reduce their risk of recurrence.
Easier Said than Done
Based on findings from a recent symposium on medication adherence among
breast cancer patients, candidates for hormonal therapy-some 500,000
women in the U.S.-may not be reaping the full benefits of their drug
regimens. According to some research studies, non-compliance rates have
reached as high as 40 percent.
The Symposium, called the Compliance Strategic Initiative (CSI),
addressed issues that lead to medication non-compliance among breast
cancer patients, and it identified possible solutions to these issues.
Representatives from leading patient advocacy organizations and
professional healthcare associations, as well as oncology experts and
survivors from across the nation, gathered to share their perspectives.
The CSI was led by a Steering Committee which included representatives
from the American Cancer Society, CancerCare, the National Surgical
Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), and Y-ME National Breast
Cancer Organization.
"Through research, we know that five years of adjuvant hormonal therapy
in women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer prolongs
survival and reduces recurrence," said D. Lawrence Wickerham, MD,
associate chairman of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel
Project. "And yet, studies also show that not all patients stay on
hormonal therapy as prescribed. It is important that healthcare
providers understand why women make that decision, so we can address
the issue with the information, resources and support needed to help
them through this part of their treatment."
Based on results of the meeting, participants gained a better
understanding of the factors that contributed to non-compliance. Among
those factors: patients often do not feel empowered to talk with their
doctors about tough issues, such as side effects; doctors and other
healthcare professionals aren't equipped with resources to assist
patients in coping with or eliminating side effects; and after their
acute phase of treatment, women may often feel they are left to manage
therapy on their own. Physicians are under increasing pressures of time
and performance and may not always have the skill set to listen well to
their patients, or, simply not realize their patients may not be taking
their medication. These factors combine to create communication gaps
through which compliance issues can fall.
In conclusion, breast oncology advocates and experts who attended the
symposium agreed that patient support mechanisms can and must be
improved. Healthcare providers and patients each play pivotal roles.
Through education and communication, they can begin to take the steps
that will help some breast cancer patients reduce their risk of
recurrence.
Two in five breast cancer patients don't take their medication properly.
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