Abstract A46: Exploration of women's experiences with triple-negative breast cancer.
Authors: Turkman Yasemin , Knobf M. Tish , Kennedy Holly Powell , Harris Lyndsay N. 
Published: August 2014

Background/Significance: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a breast cancer sub-type that disproportionally affects African American and premenopausal women. TNBC lacks receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor, thus limiting treatment options. Despite the lack of standard guidelines, women diagnosed with TNBC typically receive surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. There is a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis associated with a TNBC diagnosis. There are no known studies which describe the psychosocial concerns of women with TNBC and how they cope with the diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to understand the experiences of women diagnosed with TNBC to establish a foundation for interventions to improve health outcomes.

Methods: A qualitative research approach using an interpretive descriptive method was selected to describe the experience of women with TNBC. A purposive sampling strategy will be used to identify the target population. Participants are being recruited through local breast cancer support groups, a metropolitan hospital cancer center, and community oncology practices. Qualitative data will be collected using semi-structured interviews. Data will be analyzed through an iterative process of repeated immersion and a constant comparative method. Verbatim transcriptions of tape recorded interviews will be reviewed with the use of a data management program, ATLAS.ti. Common themes and individual meaning will be extracted. Data collection will continue until theoretical saturation, which is generally achieved with 20-30 participants. Additional data sources include field notes, memos, and observations which will contribute to the interpretation of the data. To date, eight participants have been recruited and interviewed. There are one Asian, two African American, and five Non-Hispanic white women between the ages of 44 and 68 years old with three women holding high school diplomas and five graduate degrees as the highest level of education achieved.

Findings: The average interview was 75 minutes. Preliminary findings indicate that women have different levels of understanding of TNBC and its treatment. Some appear well informed of the prognostic implications and limitations of therapeutic options, while others are less knowledgeable. The amount of understanding affects adherence to follow up recommendations. Some women reported coping by distracting themselves, some dwelt on their fears, others integrated their experiences into their lives. How women cope with fears, feelings of uncertainty and their needs in managing as TNBC survivors will continue to be explored with additional participants.

Conclusions: This study will offer insight into women with TNBC and identify if their needs and coping are unique compared to women with other types of breast cancer. The findings will provide guidance for clinicians and direct future research.

Citation Format: Yasemin Turkman, M. Tish Knobf, Holly Powell Kennedy, Lyndsay N. Harris. Exploration of women's experiences with triple-negative breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A46.