Health Psychology Commons^™

Patient Experience Of Taking Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy For Breast Cancer: A Tough Pill To Swallow, Kuang-Yi Wen, Rita Smith, Aruna Padmanabhan, Lori Goldstein

Patient Experience Journal

Adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) has substantially improved the mortality rate among breast cancer survivors. Despite the proven efficacy, the non-adherence rate to therapy is still high. This study is aimed to examine women’s challenges related to AET adherence and management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Caucasian and six African American breast cancer survivors who were prescribed for AET. The transcripts of audio-taped interviews were qualitatively analyzed. Key themes were: 1) positive beliefs in AET, 2) uncertainty about long-term adherence, 3) experiences with side effects, 4) forgetting and remembering, 5) other concerns and information needs, 6) potential intervention format, and …