Similar to patients living with other chronic diseases, adherence to oral therapies is essential for prolonging survivorship in patients with cancer. However, adherence is only one aspect of medication taking, a multifaceted behavior that requires patients to cyclically perform complex prescription medication taking activities. Research has shown that novel oral targeted therapies like EGFR inhibitors can increase survival and improve quality of life for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the use of oral targeted therapies represents a paradigm shift in cancer care and the implications of this shift for the medication taking process in patients with cancer are not well understood. There are studies of adherence to oral cancer therapy;however, most of these studies were conducted in women with breast receiving tamoxifen. Moreover, a comprehensive, critical literature review revealed no evidence of research exploring the medication taking process in patients with cancer nor were there any such studies specifically in patients with NSCLC receiving oral targeted therapies. Thus, the full scope of the medication taking process has not been explored in patients with this disease. While knowledge of the issues related to medication taking behavior among patients with chronic illnesses may, in part, inform our knowledge of medication taking in patients with NSCLC receiving oral targeted therapy, the novel technology of oral EGFR inhibitors, their unique side effects, changing dosing protocols, and dose delays and/or reductions makes it difficult, if not impossible, to apply what has been learned in previous adherence research among patients with chronic disorders to patients with cancer, particularly patients with NSCLC undergoing therapy with oral EGFR inhibitors. Therefore, the overall purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the process of medication taking of oral targeted therapies in patients with NSCLC. Specifically, the study seeks to: 1) describe the process of medication taking of oral targeted therapy with EGFR inhibitors;and 2) identify what factors influence medication taking regarding patients'adherence to their prescribed regimen. Findings from this proposed study will inform our knowledge of medication taking in regards to oral targeted therapy for patients with NSCLC, including the development of adherence interventions. As treatment of lung cancer is costly (approximately US $8 billion annually), a comprehensive understanding of medication taking behavior will inform the knowledge of medication taking including adherence to oral targeted therapy, ultimately leading to improved outcomes and decreased use of the health care system.
| Wickersham, Karen E; Happ, Mary Beth; Bender, Catherine M et al. (2014) Surviving with lung cancer: medication-taking and oral targeted therapy. Geriatr Nurs 35:S49-56 |
| Geynisman, Daniel M; Wickersham, Karen E (2013) Adherence to targeted oral anticancer medications. Discov Med 15:231-41 |
