Despite the risks of discontinuing treatment, a new study has found that about half of breast cancer patients do not take their medication for the recommended period of time.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and Kaiser Permanente in Northern California examined the pharmacy records of 8,769 women with breast cancer who were prescribed tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors or both. The women involved in the study were diagnosed with State I, II or III hormone-sensitive breast cancer between 1997 and 2007. Hormone therapy drugs like those in the study are believed to be able to prevent estrogen from stimulating tumor growth, reduce the risk of relapse by 40% and lower the risk of death by 10%.
49% of women took the prescribed drugs for at least four-and-a-half of the recommended five years. Women younger than 40 were the most likely to discontinue treatment. The authors of the study say it’s understandable why some women stop taking their prescriptions, because as time goes by your diagnosis becomes a distant memory and some women don’t want to be reminded. In addition, the side effects of tamoxifen can be severe, especially for younger women who have not gone through menopause. Younger women are also more likely to be caring for children, which could decrease the likelihood that they will focus on their own care.
