The Unmet Needs of African American Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and treatment includes various combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy. The multimodal treatment of breast cancer improves survival outcomes, but it also contributes to a prolonged period of medical intervention with associated physical and emotional consequences. However, we know less about the specific clinical experiences of African American (AA) women during treatment for breast cancer and in survivorship. The studies that have addressed the issue of breast cancer in AA women have focused primarily on early detection and epidemiological variables such a screening, mortality and staging at diagnosis. In our study, in-depth semi-structured phone interviews were conducted to explore the clinical experiences, concerns and needs of AA women who had survived breast cancer. The AA women reported that their physicians did not provide adequate disease and treatment information; did not discuss clinical trials with them; and did not offer access to support services.

Post-treatment problems of African American breast cancer survivors

“…The influence of medical mistrust in this sample is consistent with previous research showing that individuals with higher levels of medical mistrust perceived that the information they received was inferior, providers were less forthcoming, and information was sometimes conveyed in an insensitive manner [37, 38]. Acknowledging African American women's experience with racism and discrimination and understanding its influence on perceptions of health and illness are crucial steps for health providers in developing trustworthy relationships with AABCS.…”

Racial/ethnic disparities in knowledge about one's breast cancer characteristics

“…Better general knowledge about cancer is associated with cancer screening, earlier stage at presentation and survival, and enhanced satisfaction with care . Despite these benefits, general cancer knowledge is poor overall, and many women with breast cancer want more information from their providers . Previous studies of cancer knowledge have focused mainly on understanding treatment options, rationales, and the associated risks .…”

Nurturing Advocacy Inclusion to Bring Health Equity in Breast Cancer Among African–American Women

“…Given the persistence and scope of the problem of unfavorable outcomes among African American BCS, innovative, multilevel strategies that include multisectoral representation are warranted [10, 13]. Hence, engaging diverse stakeholders, including BC survivors representing their communities, must be considered as central to the solution towards eradicating BC disparities [14–17]. The aim of this paper is to present a brief, yet overarching overview of the relevance and potential impact of engaging and partnering with African American BC advocates in advancing the future of cancer prevention and control for this particularly vulnerable population.…”

“…African American BCS may have unique support and advocacy needs [14, 34, 41]. For example, there are data documenting that African American women are not adequately educated about the benefit of appropriate surveillance [42] and the impact of timely diagnostic, therapeutic care and follow-up care [6].…”

“…For example, there are data documenting that African American women are not adequately educated about the benefit of appropriate surveillance [42] and the impact of timely diagnostic, therapeutic care and follow-up care [6]. In a study of the unmet needs of African American BCS [14], it was determined that, although African American BCS were satisfied with their cancer treatment, they reported that their physicians did not adequately provide disease/treatment information, discuss clinical trials participation, or refer them to BC support services.…”