Post-operative or adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) is the mainstay of treatment for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer. When taken daily for 5-to-10 years, AET improves the time to disease recurrence and overall survival rates. However, past work has shown that Black women are less likely to begin prescribed AET treatments and less likely to take these medications as directed, often discontinuing treatment early. For hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer, rates of death from breast cancer are higher than those of similar White women. This study investigates the patient-, provider-, and practice-level barriers to AET initiation and adherence faced by Black women with the ultimate goal of developing an intervention to address these barriers. This study consists of qualitative semi-structured interviews with two populations, Black breast cancer survivors with HR+ breast cancer who were prescribed AET and cancer care providers (including medical doctors and advance-practice providers). All participants were recruited from the same comprehensive cancer center with a dedicated breast cancer clinic. Data collection is ongoing; thus far, the sample includes fifteen interviews with breast cancer survivors and nine with providers. Participants were asked about the barriers to care they (or their patients) face, their (or their patients’) perception of AET, and their views of possible interventions to improve clinical practices related to AET initiation and adherence. Preliminary findings include differences in perceived barriers to care between Black women and their providers. Providers understood barriers to AET initiation and adherence as minimal compared to other treatments, in terms of cost, toxicity, and burden of care. Meanwhile, patients understood the cost of the treatment as very high, largely due to side-effect. While the price of the medications were not a common barrier, the side effects (including brain fog, bone aches, fatigue, and depression) impact patients’ interpersonal relationships, employment, and/or ability to perform care work for family members, were seen as a heavy burden. In addition, patient interviews showed a need for higher quality education regarding how AET therapy works and its importance in preventing recurrence. While providers described the myriad ways in which they educate their patients about AET and its importance in breast cancer care, patients interviewed described gaps in their knowledge related to how AET works and why it is an essential aspect of their care. These findings point to a need for reframing barriers to breast cancer care for providers and the implementation of new clinical procedures to address and rectify racial disparities in AET use.
Citation Format: Hayden J. Fulton, Dannelle R. Charles, Kimberley T. Lee. Barriers to use of adjuvant endocrine therapy among Black women with breast cancer: A qualitative investigation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B086.
