Abstract
Background: Poor adherence or non-compliance to pharmacologic therapies in chronic diseases is a major clinical problem. Adherence to adjuvant anti-estrogen therapies among patients with early breast cancer (EBC) is variable as reported in different clinical trials. Cancer centres, at present, frequently refer patients with EBC on adjuvant anti-estrogen therapy back to their surgeons and family doctors for follow up. In order to find any difference in compliance for such patients, we reviewed patients followed by their primary surgeons and family doctors (peripheral cohort) for adherence and compared them to patients regularly followed in the cancer center (central cohort).
Patients and Methods: Women with EBC receiving anti-estrogen therapy were identified from breast cancer database at London Regional Cancer Program LRCP). A standardized telephone interview was conducted with patients. We assumed that adherence in the central cohort will be 20% higher than the peripheral cohort. Patient are considered adherent if they took more than 80%, Non-adherent if they took less than 50% and semi-adherent if they took 50–80% of the prescribed medication.
Results: We recruited a total of 160 patients (80 patients in each cohort). Seventy seven (96.3%) patients in central cohort were compliant and 76 (95%) patients were compliant in the peripheral cohort. The HR was 0.7 (p >.999)
Conclusion: From our retrospective review, we did not observe any significant difference in the adherence to adjuvant anti-estrogen therapy in patients with EBC. The present process of discharging such patients to surgeons and family physicians for follow up does not seem to affect their compliance.
Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-13-08.
Volume 72, Issue 24 Supplement
