Citations

Abstract Background: There is an increasing recognition that many young women with breast cancer will have favorable outcomes without chemotherapy. We sought to characterize decision-making surrounding adjuvant chemotherapy treatment (CT) in this population for whom chemotherapy has historically been a standard of care. Methods: As part of an ongoing, multi-center, prospective cohort of young women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 and younger, we identified 657 women with Stage I-III breast cancer. Participants were asked to complete surveys by mail that included questions about socio-demographics, decision-making, and treatment history within the first year following diagnosis. Tumor characteristics were ascertained via pathology and medical record review. We used Chi-square tests to compare: decisional involvement (patient-driven vs. shared vs. physician-driven), degree of confidence, and feeling informed about the CT decision (the latter two measured on a 0-10 scale, categorized as follows: 0-5=low; moderate=6-8; 9-10=high) between women who did and did not receive CT. To explore clinical appropriateness of the CT decision, we used logistic regression to assess the relationship between tumor characteristics and non-receipt of CT among women with Stage I/II disease. Results: Among women with Stage I (n=250), II (n=312), and III (n=95), disease, 66%, 95%, and 100%, received CT, respectively. A greater proportion of women who had CT were highly confident with their decision compared with women who did not have CT (80% vs. 60%, p<0.0001); women who did not have CT were more likely to report a low level of feeling informed about the CT decision compared to women who received CT (20% vs. 5%, p<0.0001). Women who did not have CT were also more likely to report the final CT decision as made by their doctor (49% vs. 28%) and less likely to report a shared decision (33% vs. 59%, p<0.0001). Non-receipt of CT in women with Stage I/II disease (n=546) was associated within having node negative disease, T1 (vs. T2 or larger), Her2- negative, and hormone receptor positive tumors. Conclusion: Although non-receipt of CT would be expected to be viewed favorably by patients and doctors, we found that women who received CT felt more confident and better informed than those who received no CT. Given that women who did not have CT were also less likely to perceive the CT decision as shared, improved communication together with better decisional support may be beneficial, especially for women who do not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Citation Format: Shoshana M Rosenberg, Karen Sepucha, Kathryn J Ruddy, Lidia Schapira, Steven Come, Virginia Borges, Evan Morgan, Nancy U Lin, Shari Gelber, Rulla M Tamimi, Ann H Partridge. Decision-making surrounding adjuvant chemotherapy in young women with early stage breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-10-03.

AbstractObjectiveUsing a large prospective cohort of women age 40 or younger diagnosed with breast cancer, we examined the relationship between perceived partner support and anxiety.MethodsSix hundred seventy‐five young women with breast cancer Stages I–III, median age 36, completed a self‐report baseline questionnaire. Perceived partner support was assessed using items extracted from the marital subscale of the Cancer Rehabilitation Evaluation System; generalized social support was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study–Social Support Survey. Anxiety was measured using the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Multivariable logistic regression analyses evaluated the association between partner support, other sociodemographic factors, and anxiety.ResultsMean age at diagnosis was 35.4 years. Fourteen percent of the women were not partnered, and among those who were partnered or in a significant relationship, 20% were categorized as unsupported. In univariate and multivariable analysis adjusting for sociodemographic factors, women in an unsupported‐partnered relationship had higher odds of anxiety symptoms compared with women in a supported‐partnered relationship. Young age and being financially insecure were also both independently associated with anxiety.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that partner support may play a key role in a young woman's adjustment to a serious stressor such as breast cancer. In addition, younger age increases vulnerability to anxiety as does struggling with finances. Because supportive efforts of a partner have potential to protect against the impact of stress, interventions to enhance partner support and reduce anxiety might be beneficial to address challenges experienced as a couple in this setting. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Purpose Patient adherence is critical in evaluating the effectiveness of an oral therapy. We sought to measure adherence among women randomly assigned to capecitabine in a preplanned substudy of a multicenter clinical trial. Patients and Methods Cancer and Leukemia Group B study CALGB 49907 was a randomly assigned trial comparing standard chemotherapy versus oral chemotherapy with capecitabine in patients age 65 years or older with early-stage breast cancer. We used microelectronic monitoring system (MEMS) caps on participants' capecitabine bottles to record pill bottle openings. Capecitabine was given in two divided daily doses for 14 consecutive days of a 21-day cycle for six cycles. Adherence was calculated as the number of doses taken divided by doses expected, taking into account toxicity-related dosing changes. A participant was defined as adherent if 80% or more of expected doses were recorded by MEMS. Results Overall, 161 patients were enrolled. Median age was 71 years (range, 65 to 89 years); 124 patients (83%) persisted with capecitabine to completion of planned protocol therapy. Adherence was 78% across all cycles, and adherence did not vary by cycle (P = .32). Twenty-five percent of participants took fewer than 80% of expected doses and were nonadherent. In a logistic regression model, participants with node-negative disease (P = .01) and mastectomy (P = .01) were more likely to be nonadherent. Adherence was not related to age, tumor stage, or hormone receptor status. Adherence was not significantly associated with relapse-free survival or grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Conclusion Most older women with early-stage breast cancer were adherent to short-term oral chemotherapy in a randomized clinical trial. Age was not associated with adherence.