Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr;29(5):367-381.
doi: 10.1177/13591053231214517. Epub 2023 Nov 27.

Negotiating cancer alone: A qualitative study exploring care experiences of racially and ethnically diverse women diagnosed with breast cancer during COVID-19

Isabel Martinez Leal  1   2 , Chiara Acquati  1   2 , Anastasia Rogova  1   2 , Tzuan A Chen  2 , Shahnjayla K Connors  2   3 , Pooja Agrawal  4 , Lorna H McNeill  1 , Lorraine R Reitzel  1   2
Affiliations

Negotiating cancer alone: A qualitative study exploring care experiences of racially and ethnically diverse women diagnosed with breast cancer during COVID-19

Isabel Martinez Leal et al. J Health Psychol. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

COVID-19 has critically impacted cancer care services including reduced screenings, diagnoses, and surgeries; particularly among Black and Latina/x women who already suffer worse outcomes. This qualitative study explored the care experiences of a diverse sample of breast cancer survivors (N = 21; 7 Black, 4 Hispanic, 10 White) undergoing treatment during the pandemic via online semi-structured interviews. Grounded theory analysis yielded the core category "negotiating cancer alone," that included: (1) psychological distress, negotiating the cancer trajectory in isolation; (2) provider/healthcare system diagnostic and treatment delays; (3) heightened anxiety about treatment delays causing cancer progression; (4) supportive care limitations; and (5) disparate experiences of cancer care disruptions. Black and Latina/x women described greater delays in care, financial challenges, treatment complications, and insurance limitations than White women. The study identifies cancer patients' pandemic-related psychological, healthcare system, and health equity challenges and suggests recommendations to support their increased psychological needs during oncologic care disruptions.

Keywords: COVID-19; breast cancer; cancer care disruptions; health disparities; health psychology; qualitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Acquati C, Chen TA, Martinez Leal I, et al. (2021) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care and health-related quality of life of Non-Hispanic Black/African American, Hispanic/Latina and Non-Hispanic White women diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S.: A mixed-methods study protocol. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18(24): 13084. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alagoz O, Lowry KP, Kurian AW, et al. (2021) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer mortality in the US: Estimates from collaborative simulation modeling. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 113(11): 1484–1494. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alvidrez J, Castille D, Laude-Sharp M, et al. (2019) The national institute on minority health and health disparities research framework. American Journal of Public Health 109(S1): S16–S20. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Amaniera I, Bach C, Vachani C, et al. (2021) Psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology 39(3): 485–492. - PubMed
    1. American Association for Cancer Research (2022) AACR report on the impact of COVID-19 on cancer research and patient care. Available at: https://www.AACR.org/COVIDReport (accessed 3 March 2023). - PubMed