new Strategies Emerging to Boost Patient Adherence to Oral Breast Cancer Therapies
BOSTON, MA – As more breast cancer treatments shift to oral medications, clinicians are increasingly focused on strategies to ensure patients remain adherent to their regimens, according to Michael Hassett, MD, MPH, a leading oncologist. Addressing patient education, adverse effect management, and insurance hurdles are proving critical to maximizing the benefits of these therapies.
Hassett emphasized the shift toward oral treatments-with the notable exception of antibody therapies and antibody-drug conjugates-necessitates a new approach to patient management.”We have a lot of work to do to monitor and improve therapy for oral medicines,” he stated. Unlike intravenous infusions where dosage and timing are directly observed, maintaining adherence with oral medications requires proactive monitoring.
A key component of improved adherence, according to Hassett, is regular symptom monitoring and management. He highlighted the potential of patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools to facilitate this, allowing clinicians to identify and address issues “earlier on in that sort of symptom trajectory and hopefully help people stay on treatment for longer.”
Beyond symptom management, Hassett stressed the importance of robust and ongoing patient education. ”There are a lot of complex symptoms that patients don’t typically experience on other medicines,” he explained.he advocated for a continuous educational approach, revisiting information during follow-up visits rather than a single, comprehensive handout.
Addressing financial barriers through insurance approval assistance is also crucial. “If we can do that monitoring, if we can address the financial barriers, if we can be robust with our education, we have some opportunity,” Hassett concluded. “It’s never going to be perfect, but I think we could do better than what we’ve done historically.”
