Patient Compliance Is Critical for Equivalent Clinical Outcomes for Breast Cancer Treated by Breast-Conservation Therapy

Abstract

Compliance with the BCT protocol at the authors' institution was worse than reported in clinical trials, and noncompliance translated into a significant increase in the local failure rate. Factors examined suggest that literacy may play a role in predicting compliance. Although BCT should be discussed with all breast cancer patients, the judicious application of clinical trial data to an institution's local population is warranted.