Association of Endocrine Therapy Initiation Timeliness With Adherence and Continuation in Low-Income Women With Breast Cancer.

Importance: Though adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) has proven efficacy in treating hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive) breast cancer, patient adherence to AET and continuation of treatment as recommended by guidelines remain suboptimal, especially for low-income patients.

Objective: To quantify timelines for initiating AET and assess their association with short- and long-term adherence and continuation of AET in low-income women with breast cancer.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This population-based retrospective cohort study included women younger than 65 years diagnosed with first primary HR-positive breast cancer between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2013, followed up for 5 years after the first use of AET through December 2018, and identified from the linked Missouri Cancer Registry and Medicaid claims data set.

Timing of Medicaid Enrollment, Late-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment Delays, and Mortality.

Background: Disrupted and delayed Medicaid coverage has been consistently associated with lower rates of cancer screening and early-stage cancer diagnosis compared with continuous coverage. However, the relationships between Medicaid coverage timing, breast cancer treatment delays, and survival are less clear.

Methods: Using the linked Missouri Cancer Registry-Medicaid claims data, we identified 4583 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2016.

Breast Cancer Population Screening Program Results in Early Detection and Reduced Treatment and Health Care Costs for Medicaid.

Context: The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program has increased access to screening services for low-income females since 1991; however, evaluation information from states implementing the program is sparse. This study evaluates the impact of the Missouri program, Show Me Healthy Women (SMHW), on early detection and treatment cost.

Objective: To estimate breast cancer treatment and health care services costs by stage at diagnosis among Missouri's Medicaid beneficiaries and assess the SMHW program impact.