loader image
Sunday, October 5, 2025
87.4 F
McAllen
- Advertisement -

Patients Are Opting in for 10 Years of Breast Cancer Treatment

Nearly two-thirds of higher-risk patients opted to continue endocrine therapy beyond initial 5 years, study finds

Translate to Spanish or other 102 languages!

 As recommendations suggest extending hormone-based breast cancer treatment to 10 years for some patients, a new study sheds light on whether patients are opting for it. Image for illustration purposes
 As recommendations suggest extending hormone-based breast cancer treatment to 10 years for some patients, a new study sheds light on whether patients are opting for it. Image for illustration purposes
- Advertisement -

By Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan

Newswise – ANN ARBOR, Michigan — As recommendations suggest extending hormone-based breast cancer treatment to 10 years for some patients, a new study sheds light on whether patients are opting for it.

In a study of 591 women with early stage breast cancer who completed five years of endocrine therapy, 47% decided to continue the treatment. Patients with stage 2 disease were more likely to continue, with 62% agreeing, compared to 39% of patients with stage 1 cancer.

- Advertisement -

The study, led by researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center and Stanford Medicine, was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Endocrine therapy includes tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, which are designed to interfere with estrogen signaling in breast cancer that’s fueled by estrogen or progesterone. It’s taken daily as a pill. Initially, guidelines recommended five years of endocrine therapy. But recent studies have shown benefit in continuing treatment for 10 years, especially for stage 2 breast cancer.

“Endocrine therapy is less intensive than surgery, chemotherapy or radiation treatment. But the fact that it lasts five years – or now 10 years – can be challenging. It was encouraging to see that more than half of the higher-risk stage 2 patients chose to continue the therapy beyond five years,” said co-senior study author Lauren Wallner, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of general medicine and epidemiology at the University of Michigan.

Researchers sent follow-up questionnaires to women diagnosed with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer who had previously participated in the iCanCare study, a longitudinal survey of women with early stage breast cancer and their physicians. The follow-up targeted women who were about six years post-diagnosis, which is the time they would have finished or nearly finished the first five years of endocrine therapy. Of this group, 557 responded.

- Advertisement -

Patients who said they planned to continue treatment were younger and more likely to have received chemotherapy. Women who reported discussing the decision with their primary care doctor were also more likely to continue treatment.

The factors that had the most impact on a patient’s decision were their oncologist’s recommendation, worry about recurrence and a desire for the most extensive treatment possible.

The guidelines for endocrine therapy are continuing to evolve, but research suggests stronger benefit in 10 years of therapy for patients with stage 2 cancer than for low-risk stage 1 disease.

“The magnitude of additional estimated benefit varies and may potentially be greater for patients with higher-risk cancer. But in general, extending endocrine therapy represents an action patients can take that aims to reduce their recurrence risk, and for some patients that is powerful,” said study first author Allison W. Kurian, M.D., M.Sc., professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford.

The role of both the oncologist and the primary care physician in patients’ decision-making suggests the need for ongoing collaboration and assessments of treatment risks and benefits.

“This study emphasizes the importance of a shared decision-making approach among cancer patients, oncologists and primary care physicians that may need to be revisited over time. This type of shared decision-making is becoming more common – and more necessary – as patients have more treatment options and decisions to make,” said co-senior author Sarah Hawley, Ph.D., M.P.H., Maisel Research Professor of Cancer Control and Population Science at the Rogel Cancer Center.

Additional authors: Allison K.C. Furgal, Ph.D.; Archana Radhakrishnan, M.D., M.H.S.; Christine M. Veenstra, M.D., MSHP; Paul Abrahamse, M.A.; Kevin C. Ward, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Ann S. Hamilton, Ph.D.; Timothy P. Hofer, M.D., M.Sc.; Steven J. Katz, M.D., M.P.H.

Funding for this work is from American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute grants P01 CA163233, P30 CA046592

This work was supported by these Rogel Cancer Center Shared Resources: Cancer Data Science

Disclosure: None relevant to this research

Paper cited: “Extended endocrine therapy use and decision-making after breast cancer diagnosis,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaf076

Resources:

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, www.rogelcancercenter.org

Michigan Medicine Cancer AnswerLine, 800-865-1125

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

More Articles

Ignoring cholesterol until middle age is a bad idea

Unhealthy cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Bowers, now a nursing professor at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana, has attempted to address the issue. But she agreed cholesterol management is not something young adults usually worry about.

DHR Health Breast Cancer Symposium, Oct. 11th 

To support providers in the community, the DHR Health Continuing Medical Education Department will host the Breast Cancer Symposium on Saturday, October 11, at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, located at 118 Paseo del Prado.

STHS Children’s to Host Monster Jam Patient Meet & Greet, Oct. 9th

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., the pediatric patients at South Texas Health System Children’s will have the opportunity to experience monster truck magic without leaving the hospital grounds.

Daily combo of water, coffee, and tea linked to longevity

water does not only have to come from the ubiquitous water bottle — other drinks and food can provide a good proportion of your daily needs.
- Advertisement -
×