> Importance of Following Your Breast Cancer Treatment Plan
The importance of adherence (compliance)
Breast cancer treatment is most effective when all parts of the treatment plan are followed. Adherence (also called compliance) is how closely people follow the treatment plan (for medicines and other therapies) prescribed by their health care providers in terms of:
Following your treatment plan
Adherence may be difficult when:
- You are prescribed (or recommended) to take medicines or go to treatments over a long time [131].
- You have side effects from treatment [131].
This may happen with many breast cancer treatments including chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiation therapy. Even though it may be hard, it is vital to follow your treatment plan. Medicines, such as oral chemotherapy and hormone therapy (tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors), only work if you take them correctly (as prescribed) and radiation therapy only works if you finish the entire course.
Talking to health care providers about adherence
It is important to be honest with your health care provider about adherence. If your provider believes you are taking all of your medicine, and you are not, this can cause problems. For example, if a treatment is not working well, your provider may decide to try a different type of treatment when a change was not needed.
If you are having side effects or practical problems (such as getting to and from treatment), talk to your provider. He/she can help you deal with side effects or offer ways to help solve other problems so that you can complete your treatment.
Completing radiation therapy after lumpectomy
Radiation therapy after lumpectomy lowers the risk of recurrence and increases the chances of survival [132]. It is a vital part of your treatment plan if you have a lumpectomy.
Radiation therapy for early breast cancer usually involves treatment five days a week for five to seven weeks. Getting to and from the treatment center this many times can be hard, especially if you live far away. If you need a ride to and from treatment, there are resources to help. Family and friends often want to help, but do not know how. This is a way they may be helpful to you. And, organizations like the American Cancer Society offer programs to assist with transportation. They also offer lodging if you need a place to stay overnight so that you can get treatment. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from your co-survivors or contact organizations that offer help with transportation or lodging. What is important is that you complete your radiation therapy.
Learn more about radiation therapy.
Completing oral chemotherapy
Side effects are one reason people have trouble completing chemotherapy [133]. Although most side effects go away shortly after chemotherapy ends, treating symptoms can help you complete your course of chemotherapy. You should never feel that you have to endure side effects, such as nausea, without any support. Talk to your health care provider about any side effects you are having. He/she may be able to prescribe medicines to treat your side effects or change your treatment plan to reduce them.
Learn more about the side effects of chemotherapy.
If you have trouble remembering to take oral chemotherapy or medicines to treat side effects, a daily pillbox or setting an alarm on your watch or phone may be helpful [134].
Learn more about chemotherapy.
Completing hormone therapy (tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors)
Hormone therapy with tamoxifen and/or aromatase inhibitors used to treat breast cancer is typically prescribed for at least five years. The length of treatment coupled with side effects can make adherence to hormone therapy difficult. Although the menopausal symptoms related to hormone therapy can be hard to deal with, there are treatments that may ease these side effects. If you have side effects with hormone therapy, talk to your health care provider about ways to treat them.
To get the most benefit of hormone therapy, you need to take the full course of treatment. Women who complete the full treatment course have higher rates of survival [135].
If you have trouble remembering to take your hormone therapy, a daily pillbox or setting an alarm on your watch or phone may be helpful [134].
Learn more about hormone therapy.
Updated 02/03/10
