Role of Individualized Intervention(s) on Quality of Life and Adherence to Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Premenopausal Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer: MyCHOICE Study

Background Premenopausal women receiving combination endocrine therapy often experience substantial declines in quality of life (QOL), cognitive functioning, and treatment adherence. The MyChoice study evaluated whether individualized behavioral and complementary interventions could help maintain or improve QOL and treatment adherence in women with early-stage hormone receptor–positive breast cancer undergoing aromatase inhibitor- or tamoxifen-based therapy with ovarian suppression. Methods MyChoice was a prospective multicenter phase II study in which participants selected tailored supportive interventions, including structured exercise programs, restorative yoga, acupuncture, and massage therapy. QOL and cognitive function were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and every 6 months for up to 3 years using FACT-B, FACT-ES, and FACT–Cognitive Function instruments. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Other outcomes included treatment adherence and demographic or clinical predictors of QOL. Results Forty premenopausal women participated, with a median age of 43 years. Exercise was the most frequently selected intervention (61%), followed by massage therapy (44%) and acupuncture (35%). Functional well-being improved significantly over time (1.42 points/year, p = 0.01). Emotional well-being, social/family well-being, physical well-being, endocrine symptoms, and perceived cognitive abilities remained stable. Adherence to endocrine therapy was high at 92.5% over follow-up period. In multivariable models, younger age (< 35 years) was associated with higher symptom burden across several domains, while functional well-being improved steadily with time. Conclusion Individualized, patient-selected supportive interventions may help maintain or improve key aspects of QOL, stabilize cognitive function, and support high adherence to endocrine therapy in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. These findings support further evaluation in larger controlled trials.