Abstract C30: Coping strategies in cancer: A systematic review of African American women with breast cancer

Abstract

Introduction: African American women (AAW) have lower mortality rates for breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic white women. Late-stage diagnosis contributes to these lower mortality rates in AAW. AAW who are diagnosed with breast cancer and receive treatment report a disconnect in provider and patient communication. This disconnect leads to poor outcomes in survivorship. Understanding coping strategies in cancer for AAW diagnosed with breast cancer can help improve provider-patient communication and overall survivorship for patients. Methods: The systematic review included an electronic search of PubMed and EBSCOHost databases. A search of terms “coping with cancer” and “African American women with breast cancer” yielded results of 35 articles. 14 of 35 articles were used in this review. Articles included in this study were screened for information related to spirituality, coping, and knowledge about cancer. Results: The 14 studies reviewed all contained qualitative data. Common themes among all 14 studies were that spirituality and religion were the main sources for support for AAW with breast cancer. AAW reported feeling mistrust with health care providers, limited access to health care, and educational providers as barriers in physician-patient communication. Discussion: Based on the results of this study, AAW use religion and spirituality to cope with cancer diagnosis and treatments. More AAW felt a disconnect with their providers because they felt neglected after completion of treatment. AAW credited medical mistrust to strained communication with health care providers. This information could be helpful to nurses and medical professionals to improve treatment for AAW with breast cancer. Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference. Citation Format: Jeanette Renay McFall, Jeanette Renay McFall, Jeanette Renay McFall, Jeanette Renay McFall. Coping strategies in cancer: A systematic review of African American women with breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C30.