Lack of knowledge of hormone receptor status and use of endocrine therapy in invasive breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the level of understanding in women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer of the key clinical features of their disease that are important determinants in treatment decision making. METHODS The 1684 women aged between 26 and 88 years at diagnosis enrolled in a 5-year cohort study were asked by questionnaire about their estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status and about their past or current treatment with adjuvant endocrine therapy. Information was linked with their ER and PR status determined from the histopathology report. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between age and education status and the likelihood of being able to correctly report hormone receptor status, as well as the relationship between the likelihood of receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy and knowledge of hormone receptor status in women who were ER or PR positive. RESULTS Not being able to correctly report hormone receptor status was associated with being older and having a lower level of education. Of women who were ER positive or PR positive or both and were at least 40 weeks from diagnosis, having received some form of endocrine therapy was significantly associated with self-identification as being ER or PR positive (OR=1.82, 95% CI 1.24-2.68, p=0.002), even when age was taken into account. CONCLUSIONS That self-knowledge of hormone receptor status was independently associated with likelihood of receiving endocrine therapy suggests that the methods of helping women understand the nature of their breast cancer are worthy of review.

[1]  D. Buist,et al.  Validation of self-reported history of hysterectomy and oophorectomy among women in an integrated group practice setting , 2009, Menopause.

[2]  A. Thind,et al.  Determinants of breast cancer knowledge among newly diagnosed, low‐income, medically underserved women with breast cancer , 2008, Cancer.

[3]  Rory Wolfe,et al.  Use of a cancer registry is preferable to a direct-to-community approach for recruitment to a cohort study of wellbeing in women newly diagnosed with invasive breast cancer , 2008, BMC Cancer.

[4]  M. Aapro,et al.  Patients' knowledge and experience of adjuvant endocrine therapy for early breast cancer: a European study. , 2007, Breast.

[5]  Dylan M. Smith,et al.  The relative importance of physician communication, participatory decision making, and patient understanding in diabetes self-management , 2002, Journal of General Internal Medicine.

[6]  A. Fagerlin,et al.  An informed decision? Breast cancer patients and their knowledge about treatment. , 2006, Patient education and counseling.

[7]  B. Fridlund,et al.  Knowing Your Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease Improves Adherence to Advice on Lifestyle Changes and Medication , 2006, The Journal of cardiovascular nursing.

[8]  J. Forbes,et al.  A comparison of letrozole and tamoxifen in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer. , 2005, The New England journal of medicine.

[9]  M Baum,et al.  Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial after completion of 5 years' adjuvant treatment for breast cancer , 2005, The Lancet.

[10]  E. Perez,et al.  A Randomized Trial of Letrozole in Postmenopausal Women after Five Years of Tamoxifen Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer , 2003 .

[11]  C. McPherson,et al.  Effective methods of giving information in cancer: a systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials. , 2001, Journal of public health medicine.

[12]  S. Kaplan,et al.  Expanding patient involvement in care. Effects on patient outcomes. , 1985, Annals of internal medicine.

[13]  John E. Ware,et al.  Expanding Patient Involvement in Care , 1985 .