Women's perceptions and experience of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy account for their adherence: breast cancer patients' point of view.

Objective: The aim of this study on primary breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant tamoxifen treatment was to determine how their perceptions of the treatment and their experience of side-effects contributed to their adherence to the treatment.

Methods: A consecutive series of primary breast cancer patients eligible for tamoxifen therapy were studied qualitatively by conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews at two French cancer centres.

Results: The women aged 35-65 (N=34) were struggling with several issues involving their understanding and experience of the treatment, which have not been documented so far.