Impact of Patient Personality on Adherence to Oral Anticancer Medications: An Opportunity?

Adherence to prescribed oral anticancer therapy is an important determinant of patient outcomes, including progression-free and overall survival. While many factors (eg, medication side effects and out-of-pocket costs, problems with insurance authorization, and timely medication refills) can affect adherence, one that is relatively unexplored is the impact of a patient's attitude and personality. Patient personality influences medication adherence and persistence in nonmalignant chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In breast cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia, studies suggest that personality also affects adherence to oral chemotherapy which can be targeted to improve adherence. In this viewpoint, we highlight the opportunity of incorporating patient personality as interventions to oral cancer therapy adherence and discuss current barriers to implementation.