Breast Cancer Recovery Product Design Needs Using an Athlete Benefit Model (ABM)

To assist with breast cancer recovery, patients may be recommended to wear a compression bra or top by their physician or oncologic physical therapist. These products often have ineffective thermoregulation, support/compression, fit, mobility, and hand feel, along with being unattractive and expensive. What is unique about these challenges is that they could potentially be resolved through a sports product innovation lens. Sports product manufacturers innovate seasonally to develop products that reduce pain, edema, discomfort, and swelling through targeted support/compression, while addressing thermoregulation, fit, mobility, hand feel, aesthetics, and price. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to utilize a sports product design Athlete Benefit Model (ABM) to determine product needs for female and male breast cancer recovery. Through this work Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analyses were conducted to determine design opportunities. Moving forward, the research will involve manufacturer identification, materials development, prototyping, sizing, and wear testing.