Survivors

Purpose/Objectives: To develop a better understanding of how older adult survivors of early-stage breast and prostate cancer managed the work of recovery.

Research Approach: Multiple case study design embedded in a larger randomized, controlled trial of a nurse-led patient navigation intervention.

Setting: Community-based research conducted via in-home visits and by phone with participants residing in non-metropolitan areas of a mid-Atlantic state.

Background: The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer can result in an array of late cancer-specific side effects and changes in general well-being. Research has focused on white samples, limiting our understanding of the unique health-related quality of life outcomes of African American breast cancer survivors (BCSs). Even when African American BCSs have been targeted, research is limited by small samples and failure to include comparisons of peerswithout a history of breast cancer.

Women affected by breast cancer experience an array of quality-of-life issues that affect their daily living in both short-term and long-term survivorship. Because African American women experience disparities in breast cancer survival, their quality-of-life concerns may paint a different picture from those of other racial and ethnic groups.