Compliance with chemotherapy among breast cancer patients.

Explored the extent of and reasons for noncompliance with intravenously administered chemotherapy among 78 female breast cancer patients (aged 29–78 yrs). Overall, chemotherapy compliance was high (92%). The few cases of noncompliance were indirect. In particular, 2 Ss rejected chemotherapy outright, and 2 alcoholic Ss used alcohol to avoid chemotherapy. The high rate of chemotherapy compliance was judged to be due to its perceived centrality to recovery from cancer, the medical nature of its administration, the ease with which noncompliance could be detected, and Ss' spontaneous use of successful coping techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)