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. 2017;15(1):20-27.
doi: 10.12788/jcso.0325.

Post-Treatment Survivorship Care Needs of Spanish-speaking Latinas with Breast Cancer

Anna María Nápoles  1   2 , Carmen Ortiz  3 , Jasmine Santoyo-Olsson  1   2 , Anita L Stewart  4 , Howard E Lee  5 , Ysabel Duron  6 , Niharika Dixit  7 , Judith Luce  7 , Diana J Flores  8
Affiliations

Post-Treatment Survivorship Care Needs of Spanish-speaking Latinas with Breast Cancer

Anna María Nápoles et al. J Community Support Oncol. 2017.

Abstract

Background: A comprehensive assessment of Spanish-speaking breast cancer survivors' (SSBCS) survivorship needs is lacking.

Objective: Assess SSBCS' post-treatment symptom management, psychosocial, and informational needs.

Methods: 118 telephone surveys and 25 in-person semi-structured interviews with SSBCS, and semi-structured interviews with 5 support providers and 4 physicians who serve SSBCS from 5 Northern California counties.

Results: Surveys identified the most bothersome (bothered by it in the past month "somewhat/quite a bit/a lot") physical symptoms as: joint pain, fatigue, hot flashes, numbness in hands/feet, and vaginal dryness. The most bothersome emotional symptoms were thoughts of recurrence/new cancers, depression/sadness, anxieties, and stress. Seven themes emerged from interviews: 1) unmet physical symptom management needs; 2) social support from family/friends often ends when treatment is completed; 3) challenges resuming roles; 5) sense of abandonment by health care system when treatment ends; 6) need for formal transition from active treatment to follow-up care; 6) fear of recurrence especially when obtaining follow-up care; and 7) desire for information on late effects of initial treatments and side effects of hormonal treatments. Based on survey and interview results, we present a conceptual framework for survivorship care interventions for SSBCS.

Limitations: Sample may not represent SSBCS' concerns seen outside of Northern California hospitals.

Conclusions: Physical and psychosocial symptoms were common. SSBCS need culturally appropriate survivorship care programs that address symptom management, psychosocial concerns, follow-up care, and healthy lifestyles.

Keywords: Latino/Hispanic; breast cancer; cancer survivorship; health disparities; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Dixit discloses serving as a consultant/advisor to Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Funding agencies were not involved in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, and in writing the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual Framework of Post-treatment Survivorship Needs of Spanish-speaking Breast Cancer Survivors, Recommended Intervention Components, Hypothesized Mediators, and Potential Outcomes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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