What helps people with blood cancers start and keep taking oral cancer medicines
Official title: Identifying Multi-Level Predictors and Outcomes of Oral Anticancer Medication Adherence Initiation and Persistence among Patients with Hematologic Malignancies
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11136393 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at why people with blood cancers (like CLL, CML, and multiple myeloma) do or don't start and stick with prescribed oral cancer medicines.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $626,631 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA292925-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11136393 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with hematologic (blood) cancers such as multiple myeloma, chronic myeloid leukemia, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia who have been prescribed oral anticancer medications.
✕Less likely to help
People not prescribed oral cancer medicines (for example those on only IV therapies), children, or patients with unrelated cancer types are unlikely to be included or directly helped by this project.
What this research studies
You would be part of a project that combines your medical and pharmacy records with surveys and possible interviews to track when and how people start and continue oral cancer medications. The team will identify common adherence patterns, such as consistent use, dropping off over time, or very low use. They will examine personal factors (symptoms, feelings about meds), health-system issues (insurance approvals, specialty pharmacy delays, costs), and social factors (including race and ethnicity) that influence starting and staying on treatment. The researchers will also link these patterns to quality of life and clinical outcomes to see who is most affected by missed or delayed doses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors and clinics identify patients at risk of not taking oral cancer medicines and target support to improve medication use and outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has identified adherence patterns and system barriers in cancer and other chronic diseases, but applying these methods specifically to initiation and long-term persistence in blood cancers is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Belcher, Sarah M. — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Belcher, Sarah M.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding why patients with blood cancers start and stick with oral cancer medicines
A study to learn what helps or hinders Black patients with blood cancers in starting and continuing their prescribed oral cancer medicines.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.