Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling
Objective: Women with a newly diagnosed hormone receptor-positive breast cancer are offered adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET). Although the treatment reduces the risk of relapse and death not all women are adherent to it. Many factors, including the therapy’s menopausal side effects, can adversely af...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Breast Cancer: Basic and Clinical Research |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/11782234221145440 |
| _version_ | 1797946282433576960 |
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| author | Aina Johnsson Kerstin Fugl-Meyer Pal Bordas Janet Åhman Anna Von Wachenfeldt |
| author_facet | Aina Johnsson Kerstin Fugl-Meyer Pal Bordas Janet Åhman Anna Von Wachenfeldt |
| author_sort | Aina Johnsson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: Women with a newly diagnosed hormone receptor-positive breast cancer are offered adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET). Although the treatment reduces the risk of relapse and death not all women are adherent to it. Many factors, including the therapy’s menopausal side effects, can adversely affect adherence to the treatment. This study explores the extent to which women treated with AET perceived that health care providers addressed their side effects. Methods: Ten focus groups were set up, containing between four to nine women. In total, 58 women participated in the study—45 from the Stockholm metropolitan region and 13 from the scarcely populated Norrbotten region. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Results: The women were usually satisfied with the care they received from the health care providers. However, their experiences were more complex when it came to their satisfaction with the care in terms of the menopausal side effects of therapy, sexuality in particular. The participants reported that their healthcare providers rarely asked about sex life-related side effects of the treatment. Conclusions: Health care providers need to communicate and consult about issues related to their patients’ sex lives following their breast cancer diagnosis and during their treatment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:08:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-42734860ff374d529f3cbf47dc168a02 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1178-2234 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:08:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Breast Cancer: Basic and Clinical Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-42734860ff374d529f3cbf47dc168a022023-01-21T13:33:53ZengSAGE PublishingBreast Cancer: Basic and Clinical Research1178-22342023-01-011710.1177/11782234221145440Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and CounselingAina Johnsson0Kerstin Fugl-Meyer1Pal Bordas2Janet Åhman3Anna Von Wachenfeldt4Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, SwedenDepartment of Function Area Social Work in Healthcare, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Radiation Sciences, Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenDepartment of Radiology, Norrbotten Mammography Screening Program, Sunderby Hospital, Luleå, SwedenDepartment of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenObjective: Women with a newly diagnosed hormone receptor-positive breast cancer are offered adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET). Although the treatment reduces the risk of relapse and death not all women are adherent to it. Many factors, including the therapy’s menopausal side effects, can adversely affect adherence to the treatment. This study explores the extent to which women treated with AET perceived that health care providers addressed their side effects. Methods: Ten focus groups were set up, containing between four to nine women. In total, 58 women participated in the study—45 from the Stockholm metropolitan region and 13 from the scarcely populated Norrbotten region. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Results: The women were usually satisfied with the care they received from the health care providers. However, their experiences were more complex when it came to their satisfaction with the care in terms of the menopausal side effects of therapy, sexuality in particular. The participants reported that their healthcare providers rarely asked about sex life-related side effects of the treatment. Conclusions: Health care providers need to communicate and consult about issues related to their patients’ sex lives following their breast cancer diagnosis and during their treatment.https://doi.org/10.1177/11782234221145440 |
| spellingShingle | Aina Johnsson Kerstin Fugl-Meyer Pal Bordas Janet Åhman Anna Von Wachenfeldt Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling Breast Cancer: Basic and Clinical Research |
| title | Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling |
| title_full | Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling |
| title_fullStr | Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling |
| title_short | Side Effects and Its Management in Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Matter of Communication and Counseling |
| title_sort | side effects and its management in adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer a matter of communication and counseling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/11782234221145440 |
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