Approximately 11% of all new breast cancer cases in the USA occur in women aged 45 years or younger. In 2011, CDC funded seven organizations to develop or enhance programs for young breast cancer survivors (YBCS). This paper analyzed program evaluation data collected by one of these organizations to gain a more nuanced understanding of how recipients used the newly developed program and resources for YBCS. Sharsheret’s Thriving Again program was evaluated through a web-based survey of survivorship program participants. The evaluation asked questions about participant demographics, use of the kit’s survivorship care plan (SCP), satisfaction with the timing of survivorship kit receipt, and factors related to survivors’ use of additional Sharsheret programs. We conducted bivariate analyses of survey responses and calculated chi-square statistics for significance testing. Of the 163 women who responded to the survey, 43% were diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age 45 and 69% were of Jewish descent. The majority of women who used the SCP found it helpful to facilitate cancer treatment (94%), follow-up (85%), or discussions with providers (91%). A total of 75% of women who received the SCP kit while either recently diagnosed or undergoing treatment were satisfied with the timing of receipt. Survey respondents found the Thriving Again program and survivorship kit beneficial and indicated timing preferences for when to receive resources and support. Supporting the self-efficacy of cancer survivors may improve survivors’ quality of life and is an important aspect of survivorship programs.

Background. While a breast cancer diagnosis can be daunting for women of any age, studies have shown that young breast cancer survivors exhibit more emotional and psychological distress because of their relatively young age and life stage at diagnosis. In September 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded seven organizations, including Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer, to develop support services and educational awareness activities for young breast cancer survivors. With this funding, Sharsheret developed the Thriving Again® (TA) survivorship program, which provides support services and resources, including a tailored survivorship kit with a survivorship care plan template, exercise DVD and healthy living cookbook. Participants were asked to complete an evaluation of services received to further enhance the program. Methods. Breast cancer survivors who received a TA survivorship kit were asked to complete an online or paper survey evaluating Sharsheret's survivorship support services. Among 972 women who received the TA survivorship kit and were invited to complete an evaluation, 164 women returned the evaluation survey and 85 completed it in its entirety. Descriptive statistics on demographics and factors related to utilizing the survivorship care plan template and Sharsheret's services were calculated and analyzed. The small sample size limited additional analyses. Results. Of the 85 women who completed the survey, 46% were <45 years of age and 43% were of Jewish descent. 62% of respondents reported that they received the kit and care plan template at the time they needed it most in their survivorship journey. These women more often reported completing their survivorship care plan template either themselves or with a member of their medical team. Care plan completion was also high among women considering themselves as "survivors" (89%). The vast majority of women participating in the Genetics for Life® program (76%) had spoken with a Sharsheret clinical team member at the time they ordered their TA kit. Other factors, such as stage at diagnosis and age, were unrelated to use of the care plan and Sharsheret's programs. Conclusion. Although breast cancer survivors may identify themselves as "survivors" at any point post-diagnosis, women responding to the survey who were satisfied with the timing of receiving the TA kit during their survivorship journey and who self-identified as a "survivor" were more likely to complete the care plan template. Women who reviewed the kit and learned more about TA with a member of Sharsheret's support team were more likely to engage in other Sharsheret programs, most notably, Genetics for Life®. Although the sample size was small, the findings from this evaluation may be helpful to other survivorship programs. Most notably, other programs may need to be aware of how patients perceive themselves as survivors and offer care plans and resources when patients feel they most need them, even if patients have not yet completed treatment. The findings in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Citation Format: Silber E, Stahl S, Fleischmann AK. Breast cancer survivorship support services: Evaluation findings of the thriving again survivorship program. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-10-15.

Background: Information and social support for women at risk for and surviving breast cancer are essential components of comprehensive clinical and public health practice in breast cancer prevention, control, and treatment. Jewish women in the US are a population of special concern due to their increased hereditary breast cancer risk for carrying BRCA1/2 gene mutations, and the dearth of culturally-relevant resources for breast cancer education and counseling. As part of a CDC initiative, Sharsheret (a non-profit breast cancer support and advocacy organization) is scaling-up its programs and services for women of all Jewish backgrounds to better meet these needs, guided by program evaluation data on client engagement practices. This abstract describes these practices and survey results. Methods: Evaluation surveys were individually-administered via e-mail using a secure online platform. Survey invitations were sent to participants ~30 days following their utilization of Sharsheret program services. Evaluation domains included program engagement and satisfaction, health-related quality of life, and resource needs. Results: The survey response rate was >65% (N=111), and a majority of respondents reported that they were Jewish (75%), married (76%), either or 35-45 years old (35%) or 46-64 years old (48%), and from the northeast region of the US (56%). Most respondents (88%) reported a previous breast or ovarian cancer diagnosis, and 7% indicated they carried a genetic mutation known to increase breast cancer risk. Based on the CDC's 'Health Days' measures, respondents reported a higher number unhealthy days (M=12 days per month) relative to general population averages for adult women (M=6.9 days). Respondents rated their experience with the organization highly (M=4.7 out of 5) for overall satisfaction with the quality of services utilized. There was also strong agreement among respondents (M =4.6 out of 5) about the availability and utility of patient navigation services, and the survivorship program garnered the highest level of engagement (71%) as it was utilized most often by respondents for its healthy living and nutrition resources. Conclusion: Nonprofit organizations devoted to cancer support and advocacy fill important roles in educating and counseling women about breast cancer prevention, control, and treatment. In an era of precision medicine and discussion of population-based screening for hereditary breast cancer risk, these organizations must scale-up their information and support services. This is necessary to be available for a greater number of women, and can be expected to perform even more important and essential roles, especially for Jewish women at risk for and surviving breast cancer. Citation Format: Fleischmann A, Silber E, Dubitsky S, Stahl S, Kravitz S, Johnson A, Murphy S, Tercyak KP. Breast cancer education, counseling, and support for Jewish women: Preliminary results of a CDC program evaluation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-13-03.