Improving Access and Adherence to Endocrine Therapy With Nurse-Based Intervention

Purpose The majority of women with breast cancer from low-income countries, including Ethiopia, present with advanced clinical stage disease, which results in limited and difficult therapeutic options and high mortality rates. In Ethiopia, breast cancer is the most common cancer. We found that 70% of breast cancer cases in Ethiopia are hormone receptor positive. Endocrine therapy is one of the treatment options recommended for breast cancer but that is highly underutilized in the country. Recommendations on interventions to improve uptake and adherence to therapy exist, but studies that have assessed the feasibility of implementing these are limited. Our study (n = 107) in rural Ethiopia revealed an estimated 53% 2-year survival rate in patients who underwent surgery only. In our pilot study, of 51 eligible patients 26 initiated therapy and one half of those adhered after 1 year. Our study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using a trained breast nurse navigator to improve patient adherence to tamoxifen therapy among patients with breast cancer in rural Ethiopia.Methods A cluster randomized intervention trial is being carried out in rural hospitals in southwestern Ethiopia from February 2018 to June 2019. We use hospitals in clusters as the units of randomization. The sample size includes four per intervention arm and control arm, with each cluster comprised of approximately 15 patients. Before intervention, all patients in the hospitals will receive tamoxifen therapy free of charge. Hormone receptor status of the breast cancer specimen will be determined before the initiation of therapy or throughout the course of therapy. The primary outcome of this trial is adherence to endocrine therapy on the basis of objective and subjective measures. Data will be collected with a prospective repeated measures approach. Analysis will be based on an intention-to-treat principle.Results The trial aims to provide evidence on the effectiveness of the breast nurse intervention to improve adherence to long-term endocrine therapy and answer the following research question: does the nursing intervention improve long-term treatment adherence by patients to endocrine therapy compared with those who receive usual care services?Conclusion These data are essential to maximize the impact of trained nurse-based interventions on adherence to endocrine (tamoxifen) therapy among patients with breast cancer on follow-up.AUTHORS' DISCLOSURES OF POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The following represents disclosure information provided by authors of this manuscript. All relationships are considered compensated. Relationships are self-held unless noted. I = Immediate Family Member, Inst = My Institution. Relationships may not relate to the subject matter of this manuscript. For more information about ASCO's conflict of interest policy, please refer to www.asco.org/rwc or ascopubs.org/jco/site/ifc . Eva J. Kantelhardt Travel, Accommodations, Expenses: Daiichi Sankyo Oncology Europe