Background: Within the field of oncology, increasing access to high quality care has been identified as a priority to reduce cancer disparities. Previous research reveals that the facilities where patients receive their cancer care have implications for cancer outcomes. However, there is little understanding of how patients decide where to seek cancer care. This study examined the factors that shape patients' pathways to seek their cancer care at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center (NCI-CCC), and differences in these factors by race, income and education.
Methods: In-depth interviews and survey questionnaires were administered to a random sample of 124 patients at one NCI-CCC in the Northeast US. In-depth interview data was first analyzed qualitatively to identify themes and patterns in patients' pathways to receive their cancer care at an NCI-CCC. Logistic Regression was used to examine if these pathways varied by patient race, income, and education.
Results: Two themes emerged: following the recommendation of a physician and following advice from social network members. Quantitative data analysis shows that patient pathways to care at an NCI-CCC varied by education and income. Patients with lower income and education most commonly sought their cancer care at an NCI-CCC due to the recommendation of a physician. Patients with higher income and education most commonly cited referral by a specialist physician or the advice of a social network member. There were no statistically significant differences in pathways to care by race.
Conclusions: Our findings show that most patients relied on physician recommendations or advice from a social network member in deciding to seek their cancer care at an NCI-CCC. Due to the role of physicians in shaping patients' pathways to the NCI-CCC, initiatives that strengthen partnerships between NCI-CCCs and community physicians who serve underserved communities may improve access to NCI-CCCs.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4203812 | PMC |
| http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0110649 | PLOS |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Evaluating the clinical utility of , and bronchoalveolar PCRs for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary infections in patients with hematological malignancies.
J Clin Microbiol
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA.
Invasive pulmonary infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) recipients. A delay in identifying a causative agent may result in late initiation of appropriate treatment and adverse clinical outcomes. We examine the diagnostic utility of PCR-based assays in evaluating invasive pulmonary infections from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatient perspective: Is intensive screening of women at high risk of breast cancer evidence-based medicine or ?
Womens Health (Lond)
January 2025
Department of Pharmacy Practice, Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, Glendale Campus, Glendale, AZ, USA.
In 2023, a breast cancer risk assessment and a subsequent positive test for the BRCA-2 genetic mutation brought me to the uncomfortable intersection of a longstanding career as an advocate for high-quality medical evidence to support shared patient-provider decision making and a new role as a high-risk patient. My search for studies of available risk-management options revealed that the most commonly recommended approach for women with a ⩾20% lifetime breast cancer risk, intensive screening including annual mammography and/or magnetic resonance imaging beginning at age 25-40 years, was supported only by cancer-detection statistics, with almost no evidence on patient-centered outcomes-mortality, physical and psychological morbidity, or quality of life-compared with standard screening or a surgical alternative, bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy. In this commentary, I explore parallels between the use of the intensive screening protocol and another longstanding women's health recommendation based on limited evidence, the use of hormone therapy (HT) for postmenopausal chronic disease prevention, which was sharply curtailed after the publication of the groundbreaking Women's Health Initiative trial in 2002.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast Cancer Patients' Experiences of Coping With Financial Toxicity: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.
Psychooncology
January 2025
The Department of Breast Medicine, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University/Hunan Cancer Hospital, Changsha, China.
Objective: Breast cancer patients often face a significant financial burden, leading to financial toxicity due to the necessity for long-term care, costly treatment, and follow-up measures. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the available qualitative evidence on how breast cancer patients cope with financial toxicity and their unmet need to promote the implementation of effective intervention strategies.
Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, CNKI, Wan Fang Data, and VIP databases were systematically searched for literature related to the study topic.
Role of procalcitonin, C reactive protein and ferritin in cytokine release syndrome after CAR T-cell therapy in children and young adults.
Biomarkers
January 2025
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu-University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
PurposeChimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell CD19 therapy has changed the treatment paradigm for patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It is frequently associated with potentially severe toxicities: cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), and admission to PICU is often required. Some biomarkers seem to correlate with CRS severity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment and Evaluation of an Automated Multimodal Mobile Detection of Oral Cancer (mDOC) Imaging System to Aid in Risk-based Management of Oral Mucosal Lesions.
Cancer Prev Res (Phila)
January 2025
Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States.
Oral cancer is a major global health problem. It is commonly diagnosed at an advanced stage although often preceded by clinically visible oral mucosal lesions, termed oral potentially malignant disorders associated with an increased risk for oral cancer development. There is an unmet clinical need for effective screening tools to assist front-line healthcare providers to determine which patients should be referred to an oral cancer specialist for evaluation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!