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Current Breast Cancer Reports
Published in: Current Breast Cancer Reports 3/2016

Open Access 01-09-2016 | Risk and Prevention (TB Bevers, Section Editor)

Physician and Patient Barriers to Breast Cancer Preventive Therapy

Authors: Susan Hum, Melinda Wu, Sandhya Pruthi, Ruth Heisey

Published in: Current Breast Cancer Reports | Issue 3/2016

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Abstract

The uptake of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and aromatase inhibitors (AIs) for the primary prevention of breast cancer is low, despite their proven efficacy in several randomized clinical trials. This review summarizes the latest data on physicians’ and women’s barriers to breast cancer preventive therapy. Physicians’ challenges include: identifying suitable candidates for preventive therapy, inadequate training and confidence in risk assessment and counselling, insufficient knowledge of risk-reducing medications, and lack of time. High-risk women fear medication side effects, and they often weigh experiences of others more heavily than statistical probabilities to guide their decision-making. Despite decision aid interventions to help women make an informed decision, acceptance of preventive therapy will remain low until: risk/benefit profiles are more favorable, physicians are better educated and skilled in having these discussions, and suitable biomarkers to monitor drug efficacy and better clinical risk prediction models to assess true individual risk are available.
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Metadata
Title
Physician and Patient Barriers to Breast Cancer Preventive Therapy
Authors
Susan Hum
Melinda Wu
Sandhya Pruthi
Ruth Heisey
Publication date
01-09-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Breast Cancer Reports / Issue 3/2016
Print ISSN: 1943-4588
Electronic ISSN: 1943-4596
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-016-0216-5

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