Purpose: Patient navigation (PN), and survivorship care plans, including follow-up care instructions (FCI) and treatment summaries (TS), have been mandated by national organizations as a strategy to improve healthcare received by cancer survivors, and to reduce disparities among survivor subgroups. Empirical evidence has linked PN, FCI, and TS, with survivors' receipt of cancer-related healthcare including cancer surveillance, cancer screenings, and attendance at medical appointments. However, it is currently unknown if these strategies relate equivalently to receipt of healthcare among ethnically diverse survivors, or if one strategy is more important than another.

Methods: Using data from the 2010 LIVESTRONG online survey of cancer survivors (N=4286), the current study tested the associations between FCI, TS, PN and receipt of cancer surveillance, cancer screening, and attendance at regular medical appointments. Analyses were stratified by survivor ethnicity.

Results: In the full sample, FCI related to attendance at regular medical appointments (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.07, 2.10), cancer surveillance (OR 1.49 95%CI 1.16, 1.93), and cancer screening (OR 2.40 95%CI 1.80, 3.21). PN was related to attendance at medical appointments (OR 1.50 95%CI 1.07, 2.10) and cancer screening (OR 1.31 95%CI 1.03, 1.67). TS related to attendance at medical appointments (OR 1.48 95%CI 1.07, 2.06). Associations varied by survivor ethnicity. Among non-Hispanic white survivors FCI related to all cancer-related healthcare outcomes, and TS related to attendance at medical appointments. Among Hispanic survivors, FCI related to cancer surveillance (OR 3.52 95%CI 1.12, 1.96).

Conclusions: FCI were consistently associated with survivors' cancer-related healthcare. However, FCI, TS, and PN were not equally associated with cancer-related healthcare for all cancer survivors. This evidence suggests that FCI is a valuable strategy for ensuring survivors receipt of cancer-related healthcare, and this may be especially true for Hispanic survivors' receipt of cancer surveillance.

Citation Format: Jennifer M. Jabson. Comparing patient navigation and survivorship care plans: How do they relate to healthcare among Hispanic and non-Hispanic cancer survivors?. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C34. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-C34

©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.
2014