Advancing E-health Interventions in Cancer Control and Survivorship for Hispanic/Latina Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Hispanic/Latina breast cancer survivors (BCS) in the United States experience disparities in survivorship outcomes, including worse health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptom burden than non-Hispanic/Latina BCS. Despite documented efficacy among BCS in general, few psychosocial interventions are specifically designed for Hispanic/Latina BCS. With increasing technology use among US Hispanics/Latinos, e-health interventions such as smartphone applications can deliver more easily accessible, scalable, and culturally tailored psychosocial interventions. Two culturally informed smartphone applications for Hispanic/Latina BCS—My Guide (intervention) and My Health (control)—were developed and evaluated. Results demonstrated the feasibility of study procedures and the high acceptability of both applications, which showed improvements in breast cancer well-being and symptom burden over time. A third application—My Guide for Breast Cancer Treatment—was developed to expand the focus of My Guide to Hispanic/Latina women currently in active treatment for breast cancer; a second pilot randomized controlled trial will compare this new application to usual enhanced care. Given the lack of culturally tailored, evidence-based, e-health psychosocial interventions for Hispanic/Latina BCS, My Guide and My Guide for Breast Cancer Treatment may bridge a gap in cancer care, providing needed psychosocial resources to this underrepresented population. E-health supportive and behavioral interventions focused on breast cancer, and its treatment may improve patient engagement as well as patient-reported outcomes among Hispanic/Latina women during active treatment for breast cancer and into survivorship.