Breast Cancer Survivor Preferences for Providers of Aspects of Primary Care After Cancer Treatment
In a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Wallner et al found that minority women vs white women and women with a lower vs higher attained education level were more likely to prefer oncology-directed care vs primary care provider–directed care for aspects of care normally delivered by primary care providers.
Study Details
The study involved a survey of 2,372 women with newly diagnosed stage 0 to II breast cancer treated in 2014 and 2015 in the Georgia and Los Angeles Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. Patients indicated whether they would prefer oncology- or primary care providers–directed care for follow-up mammograms, screening for other cancers, general preventive care, and comorbidity management.
Patient Preferences
Overall, primary care provider–directed care was preferred by 84% for comorbidity care, 79% for general preventive care, 9% for screening for other cancers, and 7% for follow-up mammograms. Black women (odds ratio [OR] = 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.43–2.82) and Asian women (OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.13–2.69) were more likely vs white women to prefer oncology-directed general preventive care, as were women with a high school education or less vs those with an undergraduate college education or more (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.10–2.08). Black women were more likely than white women to prefer oncologist-directed comorbidity care (OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.34–2.79), as were women with less than a high school education vs college education or more (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.06–2.12).
The investigators concluded: “In this sample, minority women and those with less education more often preferred that oncologists direct certain aspects of their care after breast cancer treatment that are normally delivered by a [primary care provider]. Efforts to clarify provider roles in survivorship care to patients may be effective in improving team-based cancer care.”
The study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.
Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is the corresponding author of the Journal of Clinical Oncology article.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
