Importance: Controversy exists about the frequency women should undergo screening mammography and whether screening interval should vary according to risk factors beyond age.Objective: To compare the benefits and harms of screening mammography frequencies according to age, breast density, and postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) use.

Purpose/Objectives To evaluate the process of survivorship care plan (SCP) completion and to survey oncology staff and primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding challenges of implementing SCPs. Design Descriptive pilot study. Setting Two facilities in Vermont, an urban academic medical center and a rural community academic cancer center. Sample 17 oncology clinical staff created SCPs, 39 PCPs completed surveys, and 58 patients (breast or colorectal cancer) participated in a telephone survey. Methods Using Journey Forward tools, SCPs were created and presented to patients. PCPs received the SCP with a survey assessing its usefulness and barriers to delivery. Oncology staff were interviewed to assess perceived challenges and benefits of SCPs. Qualitative and quantitative data were used to identify challenges to the development and implementation process as well as patient perceptions of the SCP visit. Main Research Variables SCP, healthcare provider perception of barriers to completion and implementation, and patient perception of SCP visit. Findings Oncology staff cited the time required to obtain information for SCPs as a challenge. Completing SCPs 3–6 months after treatment ended was optimal. All participants felt advanced practice professionals should complete and review SCPs with patients. The most common challenge for PCPs to implement SCP recommendations was insufficient knowledge of cancer survivor issues. Most patients found the care plan visit very useful, particularly within six months of diagnosis. Conclusions Creation time may be a barrier to widespread SCP implementation. Cancer survivors find SCPs useful, but PCPs feel insufficient knowledge of cancer survivor issues is a barrier to providing best follow-up care. Incorporating SCPs in electronic medical records may facilitate patient identification, appropriate staff scheduling, and timely SCP creation. Implications for Nursing Oncology nurse practitioners are well positioned to create and deliver SCPs, transitioning patients from oncology care to a PCP in a shared-care model of optimal wellness. Institution support for the time needed for SCP creation and review is imperative for sustaining this initiative. Knowledge Translation Accessing complete medical records is an obstacle for completing SCPs. A 3–6 month window to develop and deliver SCPs may be ideal. PCPs perceive insufficient knowledge of cancer survivor issues as a barrier to providing appropriate follow-up care.

BackgroundThere is emerging evidence that adjuvant treatments for breast cancer negatively impact cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) or Vo2max, a key predictor of cardiovascular risk. Although a number of studies have measured CRF in breast cancer patients, there is currently limited data regarding expected CRF values in this patient population. Given that CRF is a poor prognostic sign and recently highlighted as a key measure to standardize by the American Heart Association, we sought to review the available literature on CRF among breast cancer patients.Methods and ResultsWe identified 27 clinical trials and observational studies measuring Vo2max in the pre– and post–adjuvant treatment setting for breast cancer. We compared Vo2max before to Vo2max after adjuvant therapy and compared Vo2max in female breast cancer patients with Vo2max in healthy controls.ConclusionsWe found that CRF was substantially lower in women with a history of breast cancer compared with healthy women and this was most pronounced among breast cancer patients in the post‐adjuvant setting. We conclude that knowledge of normative CRF values is critical to tailor appropriately timed exercise interventions in breast cancer patients susceptible to low CRF and subsequent cardiovascular risk.

The progression of breast cancer from early-stage to metastatic disease results from a series of events during which malignant cells invade and travel within the bloodstream to distant sites, leading to a clonogenic accumulation of tumor cells in non-breast tissue. While mechanistically complex, an emerging literature supports hemostatic elements as an important patient factor that facilitates the metastatic potential of breast cancer. Hemostatic elements involved include platelets, coagulation, and fibrinolysis. Key steps in breast tumor progression, including cellular transformation, proliferation, tumor cell survival, and angiogenesis, can be mediated by components of the hemostatic system. Thus, the hemostatic system provides potential targets for novel therapeutic approaches to breast cancer therapy with drugs in current use and in development. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of the evidence and mechanisms supporting the roles played by platelets, coagulation activation, and the fibrinolytic system in breast cancer progression.

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