Medication adherence to oral anticancer drugs: systematic review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Patient Adherence Research

Background:

• Non-adherence to oral anticancer drugs (OACDs) significantly compromises treatment efficacy.
• Existing tools for measuring OACD adherence in clinical practice are limited and often lack validation.
• Patient adherence is crucial, particularly for oral targeted therapies in cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize existing literature on adherence to OACDs in cancer patients.
• To evaluate the content and validation status of current adherence measurement scales.
• To identify the gap in validated tools specifically designed for OACD adherence, considering patient beliefs and barriers.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across multiple electronic databases.
• Analysis of existing adherence scales' content and reported outcomes in studies involving cancer patients.
• Focus on studies assessing adherence to OACDs, with an emphasis on targeted therapies.

Main Results:

• A significant lack of well-validated scales specifically designed for OACD adherence was identified.
• Most reviewed scales primarily measure medication-taking behavior, neglecting crucial aspects like barriers and beliefs.
• Non-adherence is complex, influenced by patient beliefs and medication-taking barriers, which are under-addressed in current scales.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for a new, multidimensional, and well-validated scale to accurately assess OACD adherence.
• Such a scale should incorporate patient beliefs and barriers to medication compliance for a comprehensive understanding of non-adherence.
• Developing this scale is essential for improving treatment adherence and efficacy in cancer patients using OACDs.