Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice

Objective: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women across all ethnicities, accounting for almost one in three incident cancers in female, and the leading cause of mortality in Singapore. Literature reveals that survivors of breast cancer have many concerns, and these concerns can linger on...

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Main Authors: Gek Phin Chua, Quan Sing Ng, Hiang Khoon Tan, Whee Sze Ong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-01-01
Series:Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.apjon.org/article.asp?issn=2347-5625;year=2020;volume=7;issue=4;spage=319;epage=327;aulast=Chua
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author Gek Phin Chua
Quan Sing Ng
Hiang Khoon Tan
Whee Sze Ong
author_facet Gek Phin Chua
Quan Sing Ng
Hiang Khoon Tan
Whee Sze Ong
author_sort Gek Phin Chua
collection DOAJ
description Objective: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women across all ethnicities, accounting for almost one in three incident cancers in female, and the leading cause of mortality in Singapore. Literature reveals that survivors of breast cancer have many concerns, and these concerns can linger on for decades. The primary aim of this secondary analysis was to establish the concerns of breast cancer survivors and use the data to inform practice. Methods: The present report was part of a bigger data designed to evaluate the concerns of cancer survivors (top six cancers) across the survivorship trajectory. Data of 438 breast cancer survivors were derived from a cross-sectional survey of the self-reported concerns of 1107 cancer survivors, using the questionnaire adopted from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Centre's Cancer Survivors Survey of Needs. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the odds ratios to assess the association of various variables with the presence of ≥1 concerned or very concerned issue among patients. Linear regression models were fitted to identify the variables associated with quality of life (QOL). Results: A total of 438 breast cancer survivors responded to this survey. The top five concerns were cancer treatment and recurrence risk (55.5%), followed by fear of recurrence (FOR) (54.6%), long-term effects of treatment (53.4%), osteoporosis/bone health (39.0%), and keeping primary care physicians informed (37.4%). Cancer treatment and recurrence risk, FOR, and long-term treatment effects were among the top concerns across the survivorship trajectory. The mean QOL was 7.5 on a scale of 0–10. Conclusions: Irrespective of the cancer trajectory, survivors of breast cancer have serious concerns that warrant attention. Designing patient care delivery that addresses these concerns identified is critical in assisting them in their coping process and enhancing their QOL.
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spelling doaj.art-280672a47a2147cc8a226469a97773042023-09-02T20:05:00ZengElsevierAsia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing2347-56252349-66732020-01-017431932710.4103/apjon.apjon_26_20Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform PracticeGek Phin ChuaQuan Sing NgHiang Khoon TanWhee Sze OngObjective: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women across all ethnicities, accounting for almost one in three incident cancers in female, and the leading cause of mortality in Singapore. Literature reveals that survivors of breast cancer have many concerns, and these concerns can linger on for decades. The primary aim of this secondary analysis was to establish the concerns of breast cancer survivors and use the data to inform practice. Methods: The present report was part of a bigger data designed to evaluate the concerns of cancer survivors (top six cancers) across the survivorship trajectory. Data of 438 breast cancer survivors were derived from a cross-sectional survey of the self-reported concerns of 1107 cancer survivors, using the questionnaire adopted from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Centre's Cancer Survivors Survey of Needs. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the odds ratios to assess the association of various variables with the presence of ≥1 concerned or very concerned issue among patients. Linear regression models were fitted to identify the variables associated with quality of life (QOL). Results: A total of 438 breast cancer survivors responded to this survey. The top five concerns were cancer treatment and recurrence risk (55.5%), followed by fear of recurrence (FOR) (54.6%), long-term effects of treatment (53.4%), osteoporosis/bone health (39.0%), and keeping primary care physicians informed (37.4%). Cancer treatment and recurrence risk, FOR, and long-term treatment effects were among the top concerns across the survivorship trajectory. The mean QOL was 7.5 on a scale of 0–10. Conclusions: Irrespective of the cancer trajectory, survivors of breast cancer have serious concerns that warrant attention. Designing patient care delivery that addresses these concerns identified is critical in assisting them in their coping process and enhancing their QOL.http://www.apjon.org/article.asp?issn=2347-5625;year=2020;volume=7;issue=4;spage=319;epage=327;aulast=Chuabreastcancer survivorsconcernsfear of recurrencelong-term effectsquality of life
spellingShingle Gek Phin Chua
Quan Sing Ng
Hiang Khoon Tan
Whee Sze Ong
Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice
Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing
breast
cancer survivors
concerns
fear of recurrence
long-term effects
quality of life
title Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice
title_full Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice
title_fullStr Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice
title_full_unstemmed Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice
title_short Determining the Concerns of Breast Cancer Survivors to Inform Practice
title_sort determining the concerns of breast cancer survivors to inform practice
topic breast
cancer survivors
concerns
fear of recurrence
long-term effects
quality of life
url http://www.apjon.org/article.asp?issn=2347-5625;year=2020;volume=7;issue=4;spage=319;epage=327;aulast=Chua
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AT hiangkhoontan determiningtheconcernsofbreastcancersurvivorstoinformpractice
AT wheeszeong determiningtheconcernsofbreastcancersurvivorstoinformpractice