SABCS 2023 | Prevalence of refusal of recommended cancer treatments

Jincong Q. Freeman, MPH, MS, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, shares findings from an analysis evaluating the prevalence of refusal of recommended cancer treatments and survival differences in breast cancer patients. This study, spanning 2004-2020, investigates treatment refusals among breast cancer patients in the National Cancer Database. Refusal rates increased significantly over time, with 9.6% refusing chemotherapy (CT), 6.1% refusing radiotherapy (RT), 5.0% refusing hormone therapy (HT), and only 0.6% refusing surgery. Factors influencing refusals included age, race, stage, molecular subtype, and socioeconomic indicators. Refusing patients showed lower 5-year overall survival (OS) rates across all modalities. Adjusted analyses revealed higher mortality risks for those refusing surgery, CT, RT, or HT. These findings highlight the importance of addressing patient-specific factors to improve adherence and outcomes in breast cancer treatment. This interview took place at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) congress in San Antonio, TX.

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