Abstract A073: A qualitative exploration of social support needs of diverse patients with breast cancer in the adjuvant phase of treatment
Authors: Paladino Andrew J. , Anderson Janeane , Krukowski Rebecca , Schwartzberg Lee , Graff J. Carolyn , Jones Tameka N. , Vidal Gregory A. , Kocack Mehmet , Graetz Ilana 
Published: August 2020

Background: Women diagnosed with breast cancer transitioning from the active phase of treatment to the adjuvant phase of treatment experience fewer opportunities to receive support from their oncology team. During this period of time, the frequently unfulfilled social support needs reported by many oncology patients may be exacerbated for these women. Having social support is a critical component of cancer care and is associated with positive patient outcomes, including medication adherence and survival. Our study uses qualitative methods to evaluate the social support needs of a diverse group of women in the adjuvant phase of treatment and investigate any potential impact on cancer disparities.

Method: Four 90-minute focus groups (N= 28) were conducted among women with breast cancer treatment who were prescribed tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors, and then stratified by race (Black and White) and length of adjuvant treatment (i.e., &lt; 6 month or &gt; 6 month). These focus groups were held at a regional cancer center in the Mid-Southern US, a region with high Black-White breast cancer outcome disparities. The data were examined in accordance with conventions of thematic analysis to assess many topics related to the breast cancer experience including social support needs.

Results: Both Black and White participants expressed a preference for having frequent and consistent access to providers to minimize feelings of isolation and meet new and persisting emotional and informational social support needs. Specifically, a participant highlighted how critical it was that she was “able to call my primary care provider” and spend “quite some time” so that she could get questions answered and ease her fears. The support from friends and family was also highlighted by the women. In addition, several women from each focus group expressed the importance of having loved ones present during important medical visits. For example, some participants mentioned patients needing “family or anybody around to discuss the findings” or having “someone to hug.” Most notably, participants sought and provided social support to each other in the focus group itself, exhibiting a phenomenon referred to as “experiential social support.” This was best exemplified by several recommendations in each focus group to “form support groups” and “meet once a month” as an outlet to discuss experiences and reciprocally provide support.

Conclusions: Irrespective of race, women in the adjuvant phase of treatment reported needing more resources to meet their social support needs during this period of increased stress and less provider contact. The women found experiential support to be a vital component in meeting social support needs. Providers should consider implementing standardized methods to address the unmet social support needs of patients. For example, providers could assess for deficits in social support on a continuous basis (e.g., screening questions) and offer resources such as support groups and assigned patient advocates to fill gaps.

Citation Format: Andrew J. Paladino, Janeane Anderson, Rebecca Krukowski, Lee Schwartzberg, J. Carolyn Graff, Tameka N. Jones, Gregory A. Vidal, Mehmet Kocack, Ilana Graetz. A qualitative exploration of social support needs of diverse patients with breast cancer in the adjuvant phase of treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A073.