Abstract
Introduction: With a growing number of approximately 1.2 million colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors, there is an urgent need for coordinated follow-up care for this population. National guidelines recommend implementing Cancer Survivorship Plans (CSPs) as the standard of care for CRC survivors. Despite this recommendation, little is known about the use of CSPs in clinical practice and patients' interests and preferences. This study evaluated receipt and interest in CSPs and preferred modes of receiving CSPs in an ethnically and geographically diverse population of colorectal cancer survivors in New Mexico.
Methods: Men and women with a history of local or regional stage colorectal cancer at diagnosis were identified through the New Mexico Tumor Registry. A mailed English- and Spanish-language survey was distributed to CRC survivors with a 62% cooperation rate. Survey items included interest, receipt, and communication preferences regarding CSPs. Descriptive statistics and chi square analysis were used to characterize respondents by ethnicity, primary language spoken at home, and rural urban commuting area (RUCA) codes.
Results: Two hundred eighty-nine CRC survivors responded to the survey of whom 42% were Hispanic and 58% were non-Hispanic (NH). The median age was 63 (± 7.6) years and 52% were male. Overall, only 13% of patients reported they had received a CSP with an equal distribution amongst Hispanics and NHs. Only 23% of participants reported that their physician talked to them about a CSP. A significantly higher percentage of Hispanics reported being interested in receiving a CSP (76%) compared to NHs (35%) (p < .001). There was also a significance difference in interest in receiving a CSP based on primary language spoken at home (p= .004). The most commonly cited preferred mode of receiving a CSP was via a booklet for both Hispanics (53%) and NH (45%). Desire for receipt of a CSP via a DVD was far greater among Hispanics (24%) compared to NHs (8%) (p< .001). There were no differences in receipt, interest, or communication preferences by urban or rural residence.
Conclusions: CSPs have the potential to improve the overall quality of life, health, and care delivery for CRC survivors. Although interest in CSPs was high, only a small percentage of CRC survivors reported having received a CSP. Ethnicity and primary language spoken at home are factors that contribute to interest in CSPs and may influence the preferred mode of delivery for CSPs.
Citation Format: Jessie Padilla Medina, Kristina Fllores, Myra Murillo, Jean McDougall, Anita Kinney. Receipt, interest, and preferences for communication of cancer survivorship plans for colorectal 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 C36.
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