Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 26;73(4):633-654.
doi: 10.2478/acph-2023-0045. Print 2023 Dec 1.

Exploring adherence in patients with advanced breast cancer: focus on CDK4/6 inhibitors

Matea Baković  1 , Martina Bago  2 , Lucija Benić  1 , Magdalena Krajinović  1 , Tajana Silovski  3   4 , Natalija Dedić Plavetić  3   4 , Lu Turković  1 , Miranda Sertić  1 , Maja Ortner Hadžiabdić  1
Affiliations
Free article

Exploring adherence in patients with advanced breast cancer: focus on CDK4/6 inhibitors

Matea Baković et al. Acta Pharm. .
Free article

Abstract

Treatment adherence is crucial for optimal outcomes in advanced breast cancer, but can be challenging due to various factors, i.e. patients' attitudes and behavior upon diagnosis, and complex therapies with high adverse effect rates. Our aim was to explore the adherence to oral anticancer medications (OAM) in women with advanced breast cancer, focusing on cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDKI), and identify factors associated with the adherence. We conducted a cross-sectional study at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia, involving women with stage IV advanced breast cancer receiving OAM. Data collection included a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic and clinical information, Beck Depression Inventory-II for depressive symptoms, Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) for adherence to OAM, and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire. Plasma concentrations of CDKI were confirmed by LC-MS/MS in three randomly selected participants. A total of 89 women were included. The most prescribed OAMs were anti-estrogen (71.3 %) and CDKI (60.9 %). MARS-5 scores (mean: 24.1 ± 1.6) correlated with CDKI plasma concentrations. Forgetfulness was the primary reason for non-adherence (25.9 %). Women receiving CDKI (p = 0.018), without depressive symptomatology (p = 0.043), and with more positive beliefs about medicines were more adherent (p < 0.05). This study enhances understanding of medication adherence in advanced breast cancer and identifies influential factors.

Keywords: CDK 4/6 inhibitors; adherence; advanced breast cancer; beliefs about medicines; depressive symptoms; oral anticancer therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. C. Lin, R. Clark, P. Tu, H. B. Bosworth and L. L. Zullig, Breast cancer oral anti-cancer medication adherence: a systematic review of psychosocial motivators and barriers, Breast Cancer Res. Treat . 165 (2) (2017) 247–260; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-017-4317-2
    1. V. J. O’neill and C. J. Twelves, Oral cancer treatment: developments in chemotherapy and beyond, Br. J. Cancer 87 (9) (2002) 933–937; https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6600591
    1. V. Gebbia, G. Bellavia, F. Ferra and M. R. Valerio, Adherence, compliance and persistence to oral antineoplastic therapy: a review focused on chemotherapeutic and biologic agents, Expert Opin. Drug Saf. 11 (1) (2012) 49–59; https://doi.org/10.1517/14740338.2011.645803
    1. B. A. Given, S. L. Spoelstra and M. Grant, The challenges of oral agents as antineoplastic treatments, Semin. Oncol. Nurs. 27 (2) (2011) 93–103; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2011.02.003
    1. R. Lasala and F. Santoleri, Association between adherence to oral therapies in cancer patients and clinical outcome: a systematic review of the literature, Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol . 88 (5) (2022) 1999–2018; https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.15147

Substances

LinkOut - more resources