Comparison of younger and older breast cancer survivors and age-matched controls on specific and overall quality of life domains.

Background: Younger survivors (YS) of breast cancer often report more survivorship symptoms such as fatigue, depression, sexual difficulty, and cognitive problems than older survivors (OS). This study sought to determine the effect of breast cancer and age at diagnosis on quality of life (QoL) by comparing 3 groups: 1) YS diagnosed at age 45 years or before, 2) OS diagnosed between 55 and 70, and 3) for the YSs, age-matched controls (AC) of women not diagnosed with breast cancer.

Methods: Using a large Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) database, 505 YS were recruited who were aged 45 years or younger when diagnosed and 622 OS diagnosed at 55 to 70 years of age.

Development and psychometric testing of a breast cancer survivor self-efficacy scale.

Purpose/objectives: To describe the development of a self-efficacy instrument that measures perceived ability to manage symptoms and quality-of-life problems resulting from the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Design: Items were developed and content validity assessed. A 14-item scale was psychometrically evaluated using internal consistency reliability and several types of construct validity.

Predicting fear of breast cancer recurrence and self-efficacy in survivors by age at diagnosis.

Purpose/objectives: To determine the effect that age at diagnosis has on fear of breast cancer recurrence and to identify the predictors of fear of recurrence using self-efficacy as a mediator.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Two university cancer centers and one cooperative group in the midwestern United States.

Health-related quality of life of african american breast cancer survivors compared with healthy African American women.

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 peers without a history of breast cancer.

An intervention to improve communication between breast cancer survivors and their physicians.

Breast cancer survivors often use clues to convey their concerns to their oncologists. The authors conducted a randomized trial of a communication coaching intervention in which 22 female breast cancer survivors were randomized to the coaching and 22 to treatment as usual. They hypothesized that the intervention would increase breast cancer self-efficacy, improve mood, and reduce fears of recurrence.

Effects of personal characteristics on African-American women's beliefs about breast cancer.

Purpose: This study measured the effect of demographic and clinical characteristics on health and cultural beliefs related to mammography.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Interviews were conducted during 2003 and 2004 in a Midwestern urban area.

Research coordinators' experiences with scientific misconduct and research integrity.

Background: Most reports of scientific misconduct have been focused on principal investigators and other scientists (e.g., biostatisticians) involved in the research enterprise.