Interventions Can Increase Adjuvant Endocrine Treatment Adherence

THURSDAY, Sept. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Lowering medication costs and some psychosocial and reminder interventions show the most promise for promoting adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) adherence in breast cancer survivors, according to a review published online Aug. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Emma E. Bright, Ph.D., from the University of Colorado Boulder, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to identify interventions to enhance AET adherence among female breast cancer survivors.

Based on 33 included studies (375,951 women), the researchers found that interventions that educated patients about how to manage side effects generally failed to improve AET adherence. Consistently improved adherence was seen with policy changes that lowered AET costs. Efficacy varied for medication reminders, communication, and psychological/coping strategies. In the meta-analysis (25 studies representing 367,873 women), there were statistically significant effects of the adherence interventions overall compared with study-specified control conditions (odds ratio, 1.412). Effect size did not significantly vary in subgroup analyses by study design, publication year, directionality of the intervention, or intervention type.

"Our bottom-line finding is that there are strategies that do work in supporting women to take these life-extending medications, and that we as a cancer care community need to do better," senior author Joanna Arch, Ph.D., also of the University of Colorado Boulder, said in a statement.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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