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Importance of Following Your Treatment Plan

Breast cancer treatment is most effective when all parts of the treatment plan are completed. So, it’s important to follow the treatment plan (for medications and other therapies) prescribed by your health care provider in terms of:

  • Timing
  • Dose
  • Frequency

Following your treatment plan

It may be hard to complete breast cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiation therapy. For example, when [296]:

  • You are prescribed to take medications over a long period of time
  • You are recommended to go to treatments over a long time, especially if you live far away
  • You have side effects from treatment

Even though it may be hard, it’s important to follow your treatment plan. Talk with your health care provider if you are having side effects or practical challenges that make it hard to complete treatment.

Oral medications, such as oral chemotherapy and hormone therapy, only work when taken as prescribed. Radiation therapy and medications given by injection or through an IV into a vein are most effective when you finish the entire course of treatment.

Learn about getting high-quality care (quality of care).

Talking with health care providers

It’s good to be honest with your health care provider about whether or not you’re taking your medication as prescribed.

If your health care provider believes you’re taking all of your medication, and you aren’t, this can cause problems. For example, if a medication doesn’t appear to be working, your provider may think it’s due to the medication itself (when instead the medication wasn’t taken as prescribed).

In this case, your health care provider may decide to try a different type of treatment when a change wasn’t needed.

If you have side effects, tell your health care team right away. They may be able to help. Having fewer side effects can help you complete your treatment.

Learn more about talking with your health care team.

Managing practical needs

You may have practical challenges to completing treatment, such as:

  • Travel to and from treatment (and travel costs)
  • Childcare or eldercare during treatment
  • Medication costs
  • Working during treatment

Your health care team may be able to help with your practical needs. There may be a social worker or patient navigator available at your treatment center. Your insurance company may have a case manager available too.

Komen’s Patient Care Center has patient navigators available that offer free, personalized navigation services to patients, caregivers and family members.

Learn about transportation and lodging assistance.

Learn about financial assistance for childcare and eldercare costs.

Learn about financial assistance for prescription drugs and other treatment costs.

Learn about working during breast cancer treatment.

Komen Financial Assistance Program

Susan G. Komen® created the Komen Financial Assistance Program to help those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.

To learn more about this program and other helpful resources, call the Komen Patient Care Center at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or email helpline@komen.org.

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Learn about other financial assistance programs.

 

Financial assistance

Costs related to breast cancer treatment can quickly become a financial burden for you and your family. Dealing with finances and insurance can be overwhelming.

Many hospitals have financial counselors who can discuss insurance and cost coverage with you. They may be able to arrange a payment plan for hospital-related costs.

You may qualify for financial assistance from federal, state or local programs. A financial counselor or social worker at your hospital can help you learn about financial assistance programs.

Learn more about financial assistance programs.

Prescription drug assistance

Most chemotherapy drugs are given through an IV into a vein, so they are covered under your health insurance plan’s medical benefit. However, some chemotherapy drugs are pills and are covered under your plan’s prescription drug benefit. This means there are usually out-of-pocket costs, which can add up over time.

Medicare and many insurance companies offer prescription drug plans. One may already be included in your policy, or you may be able to buy an extra plan for prescriptions.

Some drugs are off-patent and may have a generic form. Generic drugs cost less than the name brands but are just as effective.

Many hospitals have financial counselors who can discuss insurance and cost coverage with you.

You may qualify for programs that help with drug costs or offer low-cost or free prescription drugs. A financial counselor or social worker at your hospital can help you learn about these programs.

Learn more about insurance plans and prescription drug assistance programs.

Susan G. Komen® Patient Care Center

Do you need help? We’re here for you. The Komen Patient Care Center is your trusted, go-to source for timely, accurate breast health and breast cancer information, services and resources. Our navigators offer free, personalized support to patients, caregivers and family members, including education, emotional support, financial assistance, help accessing care and more. Get connected to a Komen navigator by contacting the Breast Care Helpline at 1-877-465-6636 or email helpline@komen.org to get started. All calls are answered Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

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Radiation therapy is usually given after a lumpectomy to lower the risk of breast cancer recurrence and increase the chances of survival [4]. In some cases, radiation therapy is used after a mastectomy to treat the chest wall and lymph nodes.

Radiation therapy for early breast cancer usually is given 5 days a week, for 1-6 weeks. It’s important to complete your radiation therapy without gaps or delays.

Getting to and from the treatment center every day for weeks can be hard, especially if you live far away or if others rely on you for care.

There may be resources available if you need a ride to and from treatment or help with childcare or eldercare. Family and friends often want to help but don’t know how. These are great ways for them to get involved. It’s OK to ask for help.

There may be some programs that help with local or long-distance transportation and lodging (if you need a place to stay overnight during treatment).

There may also be programs to help you with childcare or eldercare costs.

Learn more about transportation, lodging, childcare and eldercare assistance programs.

Learn more about radiation therapy.

Komen Financial Assistance Program

Susan G. Komen® created the Komen Financial Assistance Program to help those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.

To learn more about this program and other helpful resources, call the Komen Patient Care Center at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or email helpline@komen.org.

Se habla español.

Learn about other financial assistance programs.

Although most side effects go away shortly after chemotherapy ends, preventing or treating symptoms can help you complete your course of oral chemotherapy (chemotherapy pills).

You should never feel you have to endure side effects, such as nausea. Talk with your health care team about any side effects you have.

Your health care team may be able to prescribe medications to treat your side effects or change your treatment plan to reduce them.

If you’re having trouble remembering to take oral chemotherapy or medications to treat side effects, a daily pillbox or setting an alarm on your watch or mobile device (you may be able to download an app) may help.

Learn more about chemotherapy.

Learn more about the side effects of chemotherapy. 

Learn about financial assistance for chemotherapy drugs.

Komen Financial Assistance Program

Susan G. Komen® created the Komen Financial Assistance Program to help those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.

To learn more about this program and other helpful resources, call the Komen Patient Care Center at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or email helpline@komen.org.

Se habla español.

Learn about other financial assistance programs.

Susan G. Komen®‘s position on fairness in oral cancer drug coverage

Insurance coverage of oral cancer drugs

Cancer medications given through an IV into a vein or by an injection (under the skin or into a muscle) are usually covered under a health insurance plan’s medical benefit. However, oral cancer drugs (cancer medications that are pills) are usually covered under a health insurance plan’s prescription drug benefit.

As a result, people often find themselves facing high out-of-pocket costs when filling prescriptions for oral cancer drugs. Sometimes these costs can be thousands of dollars a month.

The impact of high cost-sharing

High prescription drug costs and the resulting out-of-pocket burden on patients are a barrier to health care. They can prevent people from getting the medications prescribed by their health care providers.

No one should be forced to get less appropriate treatment because an insurer gives more coverage for IV and injectable drugs than for pills.

Efforts to increase fairness in drug coverage

Komen supports state and federal efforts to require insurers to provide the same or better coverage for oral cancer drugs as they do for IV and injectable cancer drugs. This would help make sure patients have access to affordable, appropriate treatment.

Become a Komen Advocacy Insider

Sign up to be a Komen Advocacy Insider and get informed when action is needed on oral drug coverage parity at the state or national level.

Most chemotherapy drugs and many other drugs for breast cancer are given through an IV into a vein in an outpatient setting, such as a hospital or clinic.

Getting to and from treatment can be hard, especially if you live far away or if others rely on you for care.

There may be resources available if you need a ride to and from treatment or help with childcare or eldercare. Family and friends often want to help but don’t know how. These are great ways for them to get involved. It’s OK to ask for help.

There may be some programs that help with local or long-distance transportation and lodging (if you need a place to stay overnight during treatment).

There may also be programs to help you with childcare or eldercare costs.

Learn more about transportation, lodging, childcare and eldercare assistance programs.

Learn more about chemotherapy.

Learn more about the side effects of chemotherapy.

Learn about financial assistance for chemotherapy drugs.

Komen Financial Assistance Program

Susan G. Komen® created the Komen Financial Assistance Program to help those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.

To learn more about this program and other helpful resources, call the Komen Patient Care Center at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or email helpline@komen.org.

Se habla español.

Learn about other financial assistance programs.

To get the most benefit from hormone therapy, you need to take the full course of treatment. People who complete the full course have better survival than those who don’t [110-112].

Hormone therapy with tamoxifen and/or aromatase inhibitors is prescribed for 5-10 years. The length of treatment along with side effects can make it tough to complete treatment.

Some side effects related to hormone therapy that may be hard to deal with are menopausal symptoms. Talk with your health care team about ways to ease these and other side effects.

If you’re having trouble remembering to take your medicine, a pillbox or setting an alarm on your watch or phone (you may be able to download an app) may help.

However, you don’t need to worry if you miss a day or two.  

Learn more about hormone therapy.

Learn about treating menopausal symptoms.

Learn about financial assistance for hormone therapy drugs. 

Komen Financial Assistance Program

Susan G. Komen® created the Komen Financial Assistance Program to help those struggling with the costs of breast cancer treatment by providing financial assistance to eligible individuals.

To learn more about this program and other helpful resources, call the Komen Patient Care Center at 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636) or email helpline@komen.org.

Se habla español.

Learn about other financial assistance programs.

Susan G. Komen®‘s position on fairness in oral cancer drug coverage

Insurance coverage of oral cancer drugs

Cancer medications given through an IV into a vein or by an injection (under the skin or into a muscle) are usually covered under a health insurance plan’s medical benefit. However, oral cancer drugs (cancer medications that are pills) are usually covered under a health insurance plan’s prescription drug benefit.

As a result, people often find themselves facing high out-of-pocket costs when filling prescriptions for oral cancer drugs. Sometimes these costs can be thousands of dollars a month.

The impact of high cost-sharing

High prescription drug costs and the resulting out-of-pocket burden on patients are a barrier to health care. They can prevent people from getting the medications prescribed by their health care providers.

No one should be forced to get less appropriate treatment because an insurer gives more coverage for IV and injectable drugs than for pills.

Efforts to increase fairness in drug coverage

Komen supports state and federal efforts to require insurers to provide the same or better coverage for oral cancer drugs as they do for IV and injectable cancer drugs. This would help make sure patients have access to affordable, appropriate treatment.

Become a Komen Advocacy Insider

Sign up to be a Komen Advocacy Insider and get informed when action is needed on oral drug coverage parity at the state or national level.

Updated 03/20/26

This content is regularly reviewed by an expert panel including researchers, practicing clinicians and patient advocates.

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