الجودة الصحية-اعداد : ود خالد

New study published in the journal Cancer reveals that many women with breast cancer in the US do not know much about their condition, with minority women being less likely to report accurate information about their tumors than white women

This is thought to be the first study to find out how much patients understand about their particular cancer as opposed to cancer in general

The researchers say the findings show there is a gap in patient education

Helping patients understand their condition has many benefits, not least in making better informed treatment decisions, reducing the risk of developing new conditions and taking care of general health

For the study, Rachel Freedman, a physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, and colleagues surveyed 500 women with breast cancer

The women were asked questions about the grade, stage and receptor status (the cancer subtype) of their breast cancer

The results showed that while 32-82% said they knew each of the tumor characteristics they were asked about, only 20-58% could actually specify them correctly

White women seem more knowledgeable about their particular breast cancer

White women were more likely to know the features of their cancers than black or Hispanic women  This was the case even when the researchers corrected for potential influencing factors such as health literacy and socioeconomic status

However, they found health literacy and educational attainment did explain some of the knowledge gaps in Hispanic women but health literacy had little effect on the findings for black women

Prof  Freedman says their findings show there is a lack of understanding among many patients about their particular cancers  She notes that the study identifies a “critical need for improved patient education and provider awareness of this issue,” and adds:

“Improving patients’ understanding about why a particular treatment is important for her individual situation may lead to more informed decisions and better adherence to treatment “

Increased knowledge about her condition and the particular features of her own tumor will also help a woman understand the reasons behind a particular personalized therapy

This can increase trust and confidence, as well as satisfaction, with the professionals providing her care and treatment, say the researchers

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there are currently about 2 8 million breast cancer survivors in the US  However, while death rates of the disease among American women have been falling since 1989, breast cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer

The chance that breast cancer will be the reason for a woman’s death in the US is about 3% – or 1 in 36 – say the ACS, whose estimates show that about 40,290 women will die from breast cancer in 2015

Meanwhile, Medical News Today recently learned about a JAMA study that found racial disparities in diagnosis and survival rates of breast cancer in the US  The researchers discovered that the chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the early stages, and the chances of surviving after such a diagnosis, may be influenced by race and ethnicity, and that biological differences may be a key factor

http://www medicalnewstoday com/articles/288508 php