Fewer than 3 in 10 patients under 65 with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer consistently filled their hormone therapy prescriptions for all five recommended years after a lumpectomy, according to an insurance claims analysis released Sept. 27 at the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting in Boston. About 28% stayed above the standard adherence threshold through five years.
The findings, presented at the Sept. 26 to 30 meeting, have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal. They are based on pharmacy refill records, which show whether patients had medication on hand, not whether they took each dose.
