• Yong Hui Nies, AliAdliah MhdAMFaculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, noraida_mshah@ukm.edu.my., Norlia Abdullah, Farida Islahudin, and Noraida Mohamed Shah.
• Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, noraida_mshah@ukm.edu.my.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2018 Jan 1; 12: 1955-1964.

PurposeThe objective of this study was to explore the experiences and side-effects of breast cancer patients on chemotherapy in Malaysia.Participants And MethodsPurposive sampling of 36 breast cancer patients who have completed chemotherapy and agreed to participate in semi-structured in-depth interviews. A constant comparative method and thematic analysis were used to analyze the interviews.ResultsData were categorized into six main themes: know nothing of chemotherapy; fear of chemotherapy; patients' beliefs in alternative treatments; symptom management; staying healthy after chemotherapy; and concerns of patients after chemotherapy.ConclusionDespite complaints about the bad experiences of their chemotherapy-induced side-effects, these patients still managed to complete the entire course of chemotherapy. Moreover, there is a need for a clinical pharmacy service in the oncology clinic setting in Malaysia in order to provide relevant information to help patients understand the chemotherapy received.

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