Open AccessTamoxifen treatment adherence assessment by women with breast cancer
Author(s) -
Caroline Oliveira Rangel,
Christiane de Fátima Colet,
Vanessa Adelina Casali Bandeira,
Gabriela Tassotti Gelatti,
Rodrigo Fernando dos Santos Salazar,
Roberta Cattaneo Horn
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
revista de epidemiologia e controle de infecção
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2238-3360
DOI - 10.17058/jeic.v10i1.13314
Subject(s) - medicine , tamoxifen , breast cancer , context (archaeology) , psychological intervention , randomized controlled trial , randomization , clinical trial , cancer , pill , treatment and control groups , oncology , gynecology , pharmacology , psychiatry , paleontology , biology
Justification and objectives: oral antineoplastic therapy has advantages compared to other
therapies for the treatment of cancer, as it is administered at home, in a simple and fast way.
However, this therapy increases patients’ responsibility for their treatment, and compliance is
critical to its effectiveness. Few studies are evident regarding pharmacotherapeutic follow-up
in oral antineoplastic therapy. In this context, this study seeks to assess adherence to tamoxifen
treatment in women with breast cancer, before and after pharmacotherapeutic follow-up.
Methods: this is a randomized, quantitative clinical study. Data collection was carried out for
six months. Random randomization was divided into a control group and a follow-up group,
with the follow-up subdivided into before and after follow-up. The follow-up group received
individual pharmaceutical interventions monthly. Adherence was assessed by The Brief
Medication Questionnaire, Brazilian version and drug-related problems as to necessity,
effectiveness, and safety. Results: after pharmaceutical follow-p, a difference was observed
between the follow-up group and the control group regarding physical activity (p=0.043),
treatment adherence (p=0.006), reduction of side effects (p=0.003) and associated diseases
(p=0.002). The most frequent drug-related problems were safety and adherence, for which 54
pharmaceutical interventions were performed. The side effects described by patients mainly
affected the genital system and gastrointestinal tract. Conclusion: it was evident that
pharmacotherapeutic follow-up effectively contributed to adherence to treatment with
tamoxifen and the pharmaceutical interventions performed contributed to prevention and
reduction of drug-related problems.