A Community-Based Approach to Assessing the Physical, Emotional, and Health Status of Hispanic Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Introduction Latina breast cancer survivors in the United States face disproportionate risk for poorer quality of life and physical health, as well as greater emotional distress. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted to describe the physical, emotional, and general health status of 135 Latina breast cancer survivors served by a community-based program. Results Of the 135 surveys sent, 48 survivors responded. Of those who responded, time since diagnosis ranged from 0 to 24 years (M = 4.37; SD = 5.54); and 45.9% of the women rated physical health as poor or fair. Fatigue prevalence was high, with 60.5% reporting fatigue as moderate or severe. Nearly 80% reported having pain (score >0); 38.3% reported pain was moderate or severe. The women reported mild levels of anxiety and depression but high levels of stress (M = 4.14; SD = 3.02). Conclusions Latina breast cancer survivors could benefit from interventions focused on commonly shared problems while tailoring specific interventions for subsets with more severe symptoms.

A systematic review on the use of the emotion thermometer in individuals diagnosed with cancer

“…Distress levels were assessed mostly in patients (12 of 13), and one study described survivors . Distress was measured in cancer patients with a mean age greater than 50 years in most populations (12 of 13) and predominantly in females (3 of 13 all‐female; 7 of 13 greater than 50% female; 2 of 13 all‐male; and 1 of 13 gender unreported).…”

“…Distress was measured in cancer patients with a mean age greater than 50 years in most populations (12 of 13) and predominantly in females (3 of 13 all‐female; 7 of 13 greater than 50% female; 2 of 13 all‐male; and 1 of 13 gender unreported). Most studies were conducted in Europe (n = 11), and four were conducted in the United States, one in Brazil, and one in Malaysia …”

“…The remaining studies (12 of 17) applied the ET with varying purposes. Primarily, the ET was used as an outcome measure (6 of 12), as a predictor variable measure (3 of 12), and for screening (3 of 12) . Most of them adhered to the recommended cutoff (greater than or equal to 4; 7 of 12) (Table ).…”

“…The ET was used for screening in one study in the United Kingdom and two from the United States . Using the ET as a single instrument, the UK study screened for distress in 169 patients treated for thyroid cancer .…”

“…Using the ET as a single instrument, the UK study screened for distress in 169 patients treated for thyroid cancer . The two studies in the United States used an extended ET (additional: panic thermometer, based on community members' input) in 48 Hispanic breast cancer survivors and applied the ET as a single instrument for distress screening in 149 surgical breast cancer patients …”