Abstract
The George Washington University Cancer Institute's (GWCI) Center for the Advancement of Cancer Survivorship, Navigation and Policy (caSNP) hosted a research roundtable in which oncology and policy leaders gathered to identify significant barriers to equitable survivorship care and create recommendations to reduce health disparities among cancer survivors, particularly for underserved populations.
Procedure: Twenty-four leaders in the fields of oncology and health policy were invited to attend the 2009 Cancer Survivorship Research and Health Disparities Symposium. The following day, the experts convened to discuss three core topics: 1) Primary barriers to optimal survivorship for underserved groups; 2) Research strategies that have been most effective in reaching and helping underserved communities in promoting wellness and addressing other chronic diseases that require long-term follow-up; 3) Research, resources, and measures needed to establish efficient, effective, sustainable models to provide survivorship care to underserved populations. These topics were predetermined based on feedback from the symposium that occurred the previous day.
Summary of Data: Three areas of research focus needed to reduce health inequalities in cancer survivorship emerged from the roundtable discussion: improved physician-patient communication, transition from active care, and late effects of cancer treatment. Experts were divided into three groups and each group was assigned the task of addressing one of the primary areas of focus. Groups presented their findings in the form of a request for proposals (RFP). Mock-RFPs included culturally-tailored communication interventions to improve patient understanding of his/her diagnosis and treatment options; comparative effectiveness studies to study the impact of longitudinal patient navigation on patient-reported health outcomes; and the need for evidence-based guidelines for screening and management of long-term effects of cancer.
Conclusions: In order to help researchers conduct studies that work to reduce health and quality of life inequities among survivor populations, the panel recommends the following guidelines: Community-based research designs should incorporate insights from the population(s) under study; The development and use of culturally-specific communication methods and evaluation tools; Research to improve physician-patient communication and patient-centered care; Research and training to improve cultural competence among health care professionals; Research on the outcomes and comparative effectiveness of navigation models, survivorship care planning and survivorship program models; Research to develop evidence-based management of cancer survivors and guidelines for survivorship care planning.
Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):A70.
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