Poor Women Seem to Be Skipping Breast Ca... ( Theories vary as to why but experts s...)

Poor Women Seem to Be Skipping Breast Cancer Drugs

Date:5/18/2009

Theories vary as to why, but experts say consequence can be severe

MONDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- In another sign of the challenges facing the health-care industry as it tries to serve the poor, researchers from North Carolina are reporting that nearly four in 10 poor women recovering from breast cancer do not take the drugs recommended to keep their cancer from returning.

Those who do not follow instructions to take these drugs, medications that block hormones, face a higher risk of dying, said study author Dr. Gretchen Kimmick.

The findings don't examine whether wealthier women are more likely to take the drugs, nor do they reveal trends over time.

Even so, they raise questions about poor women's lack of adherence to the drug regimens, including whether it's due to factors other than money because government-funded insurance would cover almost all the cost.

"The key right now is that we've got to figure out why they didn't get the standard treatment," said Kimmick, an associate professor in medical oncology at Duke University.

The study included 1,491 low-income women, who averaged 67 years old and were recovering from breast cancer, which had been diagnosed between 1998 and 2002.

The researchers found that 36 percent of the women failed to fill prescriptions for the recommended drugs to prevent the return of a type of breast cancer known as hormone receptor-positive. Women in the study had that type or an unknown type of breast cancer; two-thirds had undergone mastectomies.

Of those who did fill initial prescriptions, 40 percent stopped the drugs before the end of the year-long period.

The study, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the drug company AstraZeneca, appears in the May 18 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Drugs such as the well-known medication tamoxifen, which AstraZeneca markets, are thought to h
'/>"/>

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Mayo Clinic Researchers Say Agent Provides Treatment Option for Women with Hot Flashes
2. 7 out of 10 women too embarrassed to discuss vaginal dryness and pain with their physician
3. Program focused on body, mind and spirit helps women with breast cancer cope
4. Mayo Clinic researchers say agent provides treatment option for women with hot flashes
5. Menttium Offers Scholarship Award to Businesswomen Leaders
6. Womens Digital Imaging of Ridgewood First Private Medical Practice in New York Area to Screen With Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI)
7. CDC: Flu Drugs Should Be 1st Choice for Pregnant Women With Swine Flu
8. Siemens Hearing Celebrates 10th Annual National Womens Health Week
9. Video: Economic Downturn Is Driving Many Osteoporotic Women to Retire Later - but Their Ability to Work May Be Undermined by Sub-Optimal Management of Their Disease
10. Southern AIDS Living Quilt Posts 100th Video Patch During National Womens Health Week
11. More Single Women Are Having Babies

Post Your Comments:

Poor Women Seem to Be Skipping Breast Ca...( Theories vary as to why but experts s...),Health