Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated the supportive care needs of a sample of low-income Latina breast cancer survivors.
Methods
Ninety-nine Spanish-speaking breast cancer survivors who self-identified as Latina and reported an income below the US Census Bureau low-income threshold were recruited from the oncology clinic of a major public safety net hospital. Eligible participants completed the supportive care needs survey (SCNS-SF34) and a demographic questionnaire.
Results
Ninety-three percent of respondents had unmet needs. The majority of frequently reported unmet needs involved (1) access to and delivery of health-related information and (2) physical function. These findings appear to contrast with those of other studies of supportive care needs in heterogeneous cancer survivors, most of which describe psychological concerns as most urgent.
Conclusions
Participants espoused information-related needs with a higher frequency than many other samples of cancer survivors. This study population may also require a particularly high level of assistance with overcoming participation restrictions. Further research is needed to understand these discrepancies and to address unmet needs across all domains.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Cancer Society. Cancer facts and figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2015–2017. 2015. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@research/documents/document/acspc-046405.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2017
Nelson A (2002) Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. JAMA 94(8):666
Luckett T, Goldstein D, Butow PN, Gebski V, Aldridge LJ, McGrane J, Ng W, King MT (2011) Psychological morbidity and quality of life of ethnic minority patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Oncol 12(13):1240–1248
Janz NK, Mujahid M, Lantz PM, Fagerlin A, Salem B, Morrow M, Deapen D, Katz SJ (2005) Population-based study of the relationship of treatment and sociodemographics on quality of life for early stage breast cancer. Qual Life Res 14(6):1467–1479
Ricker CN, Hiyama S, Fuentes S, Feldman N, Kumar V, Uman GC, Nedelcu R, Blazer KR, MacDonald DJ, Weitzel JN (2007) Beliefs and interest in cancer risk in an underserved Latino cohort. Prev Med 44(3):241–245
Harrison JD, Young JM, Price MA, Butow PN, Solomon MJ (2009 Aug 1) What are the unmet supportive care needs of people with cancer? A systematic review. Support Care Cancer 17(8):1117–1128
Molina Y, Thompson B, Espinoza N, Ceballos R (2013) Breast cancer interventions serving US-based Latinas: current approaches and directions. Women’s Health 9(4):335–350
Park BW, Hwang SY (2012) Unmet needs and their relationship with quality of life among women with recurrent breast cancer. J Breast Cancer 15(4):454–461
Akechi T, Okuyama T, Endo C, Sagawa R, Uchida M, Nakaguchi T, Akazawa T, Yamashita H, Toyama T, Furukawa TA (2011) Patient's perceived need and psychological distress and/or quality of life in ambulatory breast cancer patients in Japan. Psycho-Oncology 20(5):497–505
O’Callaghan C, Schofield P, Butow P, Nolte L, Price M, Tsintziras S, Sze M, Thein T, Yiu D, Mireskandari S, Goldstein D (2016) “I might not have cancer if you didn’t mention it”: a qualitative study on information needed by culturally diverse cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 24(1):409–418
DeNavas-Walt C, Proctor BD (2015) Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014. US Census Bureau, Current Population Reports
Roberts B, Povich D, Mather M (2013) Low-income working families: the growing economic gap. The Working Poor Families Project 301(3):657–1480
United States Census Bureau. Poverty thresholds. 2015 https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html. Accessed January, 2017
Bonevski B, Sanson-Fisher R, Girgis A, Burton L, Cook P, Boyes A (2000) Evaluation of an instrument to assess the needs of patients with cancer. Cancer 88(1):217–225
McElduff P, Boyes A, Zucca A, Girgis A (2004) The supportive care needs survey: a guide to administration, scoring and analysis. Centre for Health Research, Newcastle
Doubova SV, Aguirre-Hernandez R, Gutiérrez-de la Barrera M, Infante-Castañeda C, Pérez-Cuevas R (2015) Supportive care needs of Mexican adult cancer patients: validation of the Mexican version of the short-form supportive care needs questionnaire (SCNS-SFM). Support Care Cancer 23(9):2711–2719
Fu MR, Axelrod D, Guth AA, Cleland CM, Ryan CE, Weaver KR, Qiu JM, Kleinman R, Scagliola J, Palamar JJ, Melkus GD (2015) Comorbidities and quality of life among breast cancer survivors: a prospective study. J Pers Med 5(3):229–242
Girgis A, Boyes A, Sanson-Fisher RW, Burrows S (2000) Perceived needs of women diagnosed with breast cancer: rural versus urban location. Aust N Z J Public Health 24(2):166–173
Sanson-Fisher R, Girgis A, Boyes A, Bonevski B, Burton L, Cook P (2000) The unmet supportive care needs of patients with cancer. Cancer 88(1):226–237
Lintz K, Moynihan C, Steginga S, Norman A, Eeles R, Huddart R, Dearnaley D, Watson M (2003) Prostate cancer patients' support and psychological care needs: survey from a non-surgical oncology clinic. Psych Onc 12(8):769–783
Armes J, Crowe M, Colbourne L, Morgan H, Murrells T, Oakley C, Palmer N, Ream E, Young A, Richardson A (2009) Patients' supportive care needs beyond the end of cancer treatment: a prospective, longitudinal survey. J Clin Oncol 27(36):6172–6179
Uchida M, Akechi T, Okuyama T, Sagawa R, Nakaguchi T, Endo C, Yamashita H, Toyama T, Furukawa TA (2010) Patients' supportive care needs and psychological distress in advanced breast cancer patients in Japan. Japanese J Clin Oncol 41(4):530–536
Fiszer C, Dolbeault S, Sultan S, Brédart A (2014) Prevalence, intensity, and predictors of the supportive care needs of women diagnosed with breast cancer: a systematic review. Psych Oncol 23(4):361–374
Au A, Lam WWT, Kwong A, Suen D, Tsang J, Yeo W, Suen J, Ho WM, Yau TK, Soong I, Wong KY, Sze WK, Ng A, Girgis A, Fielding R (2011) Validation of the Chinese version of the short-form supportive care needs survey questionnaire (SCNS-SF34-C). Psycho-Oncology 20:1292–1300
Pandey M, Thomas BC, SreeRekha P, Ramdas K, Ratheesan K, Parameswaran S, Mathew BS, Rajan B (2005) Quality of life determinants in women with breast cancer undergoing treatment with curative intent. World J Surg Oncol 3(1):63
Au A, Lam W, Tsang J, Yau TK, Soong I, Yeo W, Suen J, Ho WM, Wong KY, Kwong A, Suen D (2013) Supportive care needs in Hong Kong Chinese women confronting advanced breast cancer. Psych Onc 22(5):1144–1151
Fielding R, Lam WW, Shun SC, Okuyama T, Lai YH, Wada M, Akechi T, Li WW (2013) Attributing variance in supportive care needs during cancer: culture-service, and individual differences, before clinical factors. PLoS One 8(5):e65099
Janz NK, Mujahid MS, Hawley ST, Griggs JJ, Hamilton AS, Katz SJ (2008) Racial/ethnic differences in adequacy of information and support for women with breast cancer. Cancer 113(5):1058–1067
Baezconde-Garbanati L, Murphy ST, Moran MB, Cortessis VK (2013) Reducing the excess burden of cervical cancer among Latinas: translating science into health promotion initiatives. Californian J Health Promot 11(1):45–57
DuBard CA, Gizlice Z (2008) Language spoken and differences in health status, access to care, and receipt of preventive services among US Hispanics. Am J Public Health 98(11):2021–2028
Jacobs EA, Shepard DS, Suaya JA, Stone EL (2004) Overcoming language barriers in health care: costs and benefits of interpreter services. Am J Public Health 94(5):866–869
Lor M, Xiong P, Schwei RJ, Bowers BJ, Jacobs EA (2016) Limited English proficient Hmong-and Spanish-speaking patients’ perceptions of the quality of interpreter services. Int J Nurs Stud 54:75–83
Graham S, Brookey J (2008) Do patients understand? Permanente J 12(3):67
Martin LT, Ruder T, Escarce JJ, Ghosh-Dastidar B, Sherman D, Elliott M, Bird CE, Fremont A, Gasper C, Culbert A, Lurie N (2009 Nov 1) Developing predictive models of health literacy. J Ger Intern Med 24(11):1211–1216
Halbach SM, Ernstmann N, Kowalski C, Pfaff H, Pförtner TK, Wesselmann S, Enders A (2016) Unmet information needs and limited health literacy in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients over the course of cancer treatment. Patient Educ Couns 99(9):1511–1518
Freeman HP (2006) Patient navigation: a community based strategy to reduce cancer disparities. J Urban Health 83(2):139–141
Dohan D, Schrag D (2005 Aug 15) Using navigators to improve care of underserved patients. Cancer 104(4):848–855
Jean-Pierre P, Cheng Y, Wells KJ, Freund KM, Snyder FR, Fiscella K, Holden AE, Paskett ED, Dudley DJ, Simon MA, Valverde PA (2016) Satisfaction with cancer care among underserved racial-ethnic minorities and lower-income patients receiving patient navigation. Cancer 122(7):1060–1067
Hendren S, Chin N, Fisher S, Winters P, Griggs J, Mohile S, Fiscella K (2011) Patients’ barriers to receipt of cancer care, and factors associated with needing more assistance from a patient navigator. J Natl Med Assoc 103(8):701–710
Livaudais JC, Coronado GD, Espinoza N, Islas I, Ibarra G, Thompson B (2010) Educating Hispanic women about breast cancer prevention: evaluation of a home-based promotora-led intervention. J Women's Health 19(11):2049–2056
Moralez EA, Rao SP, Livaudais JC, Thompson B (2012) Improving knowledge and screening for colorectal cancer among Hispanics: overcoming barriers through a promotora-led home-based educational intervention. J Cancer Ed 27(3):533–539
Hwang EJ, Lokietz NC, Lozano RL, Parke MA (2015) Functional deficits and quality of life among cancer survivors: implications for occupational therapy in cancer survivorship care. Am J Occ Ther 69(6):6906290010p1–6906290010p9
Cheville AL, Troxel AB, Basford JR, Kornblith AB (2008) Prevalence and treatment patterns of physical impairments in patients with metastatic breast cancer. J Clinical Onc 26(16):2621–2629
Griesser AC, Vlastos G, Morel L, Beaume C, Sappino AP, Haller G (2011) Socio-demographic predictors of high support needs in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Eur J Cancer Care 20(4):466–474
Lam WW, Au AH, Wong JH, Lehmann C, Koch U, Fielding R, Mehnert A (2011) Unmet supportive care needs: a cross-cultural comparison between Hong Kong Chinese and German Caucasian women with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 130(2):531–541
Schmid-Büchi S, Halfens RJ, Müller M, Dassen T, van den Borne B (2013 Feb 28) Factors associated with supportive care needs of patients under treatment for breast cancer. Eur J Oncol Nurs 17(1):22–29
Li WW, Lam WW, Au AH, Ye M, Law WL, Poon J, Kwong A, Suen D, Tsang J, Girgis A, Fielding R (2013) Interpreting differences in patterns of supportive care needs between patients with breast cancer and patients with colorectal cancer. Psycho-Oncology 22(4):792–798
Brédart A, Kop JL, Griesser AC, Fiszer C, Zaman K, Panes-Ruedin B, Jeanneret W, Delaloye JF, Zimmers S, Berthet V, Dolbeault S (2013) Assessment of needs, health-related quality of life, and satisfaction with care in breast cancer patients to better target supportive care. Ann Oncol 24(8):2151–2158
Silver JK, Baima J, Mayer RS (2013 Sep 1) Impairment-driven cancer rehabilitation: an essential component of quality care and survivorship. CA Cancer J Clin 63(5):295–317
Silver JK (2015) Cancer prehabilitation and its role in improving health outcomes and reducing health care costs. Sem Oncol Nurs 31(1):13–30
Santa Mina D, Brahmbhatt P, Lopez C, Baima J, Gillis C, Trachtenberg L, Silver JK (2017) The case for prehabilitation prior to breast cancer treatment. PM&R 9(9):S305–S316
Hayes SC, Johansson K, Stout NL, Prosnitz R, Armer JM, Gabram S, Schmitz KH (2012) Upper-body morbidity after breast cancer. Cancer 118(S8):2237–2249
Prvu Bettger JA, Stineman MG (2007) Effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation services in postacute care: state-of-the-science. A review. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 88:1526–1534
Egan MY, McEwen S, Sikora L, Chasen M, Fitch M, Eldred S (2013) Rehabilitation following cancer treatment. Disab Rehab 35(26):2245–2258
Silver JK, Gilchrist LS (2011) Cancer rehabilitation with a focus on evidence-based outpatient physical and occupational therapy interventions. Am J Phys Med Rehab 90(5):S5–S15
Stubblefield MD, Hubbard G, Cheville A, Koch U, Schmitz KH, Dalton SO (2013) Current perspectives and emerging issues on cancer rehabilitation. Cancer 119(S11):2170–2178
Lyons KD, Radomski MV, Alfano CM, Finkelstein M, Sleight AG, Marshall TF, McKenna R, Fu JB (2017) Delphi study to determine rehabilitation research priorities for older adults with Cancer. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 98(5):904–914
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a research grant from the California Foundation for Occupational Therapy. The authors thank Gabrielle Granados and Karina Cordova for their contributions to this work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sleight, A.G., Lyons, K.D., Vigen, C. et al. Supportive care priorities of low-income Latina breast cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 26, 3851–3859 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4253-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4253-7