Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate adherence to oral hormone therapy (HT) and which factors impact in incomplete adherence and quality of life.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study. Setting: Women’s Hospital Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti. Participants: women with breast cancer under treatment with oral HT. Main outcome measures: interview and performed an adherence questionnaire (Morisky–Green) and two questionnaires of quality of life (EORTC-QLQ30/BR23). The interviews were done once in a 5-month period.
Results
Fifty-eight women were interviewed: 42 under treatment with tamoxifen (TX) and 16 under treatment with aromatase inhibitor (AI). Twenty-six women (44%) showed high adherence to the treatment, 31 (54%) medium adherence, and 1 (2%) low adherence. Statistical analysis showed a relation between incomplete adherence and systemic therapy side effects as well as higher stages of disease, with no difference between the two drugs. When treatments were compared, this study showed treatment with AI presented less breast symptoms and better role functioning. Quality of life score was high, compared to the reference value.
Conclusions
A low percentage of women with breast cancer were highly adherent to HT treatment. Low/medium adherence was associated with higher stages of disease and systemic side effects. Quality of life had high scores, with better role function and less breast symptoms in women being treated with an AI.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the team CAISM’s pharmacy and to the research group in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Care of UNICAMP.
Funding
This work was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) (Grant Number: 130466/2016-6).
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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (CAAE: 54977116.0.0000.5404).
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Stahlschmidt, R., Ferracini, A.C., de Souza, C.M. et al. Adherence and quality of life in women with breast cancer being treated with oral hormone therapy. Support Care Cancer 27, 3799–3804 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04671-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-019-04671-x