Call to Action - African American Breast Cancer - Research Study in the City of Hope in Duarte, California

We need African-American breast cancer survivors living in Southern California (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties) who are nearing completion of treatment or completed surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation treatment 1-12 months ago, to participate in a breast cancer research study focused on follow-up care. We have recruited for this study in the past but the research team needs more women to sign up!

After diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, African-American women may be less likely to obtain appropriate follow-up care and surveillance than women of other ethnic groups. To address this issue, a research team at City of Hope in Duarte, California, has developed a peer navigator program specifically for African-American survivors that allows them to receive information, support, coaching, and other helpful tools for obtaining a Survivorship Care Plan from other African-American breast cancer survivors.

If you are an African-American breast cancer survivor in Southern California and are interested in helping the research team evaluate their program, please read on to learn more about what's involved and who can participate. If this study isn't right for you, please pass it on to every African-American breast cancer survivor you know who might be interested!

What's the study about?

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a peer navigator program on helping African-American breast cancer survivors obtain and follow a survivorship care plan. A survivorship care plan consists of two components: (1) a treatment summary describing the cancer diagnosis, history, stage, and primary treatments received; and (2) a follow-up care plan that includes information on recovering from treatment, ways to maintain good health, and recommendations for care.

What's involved?

If you sign up for Sister Survivor: Improving the Survivorship Care of African-American Women with Breast Cancer, you will be contacted by the research team to confirm that you are eligible for the study. If you choose to participate in the study, you will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to one of two groups:

-- Peer navigator and survivorship materials group
- Attend 5 meetings with a peer navigator, either face-to-face or over the phone. These meetings will occur over a 6-month period.
- Review survivorship materials
- Complete 3 surveys over a 12-month period.

-- Survivorship materials only group
- Review survivorship materials.
- Complete 3 surveys over a 12-month period.

The information you provide is confidential and will be kept private.

Who is conducting the study?

-- Kimlin Ashing-Giwa, PhD, at City of Hope
-- African American Breast Cancer Coalition: A Community-Scientific Partnership to direct attention to cancer in the African American community, increase the voice of African Americans in breast cancer research and reduce the burden of cancer in our communities. The Coalition embraces a shared leadership model; in 2012, the Coalition is led by Women of Color.

Where?

City of Hope, Duarte, California

Who can participate?

You can sign up for Sister Survivor: Improving the Survivorship Care of African-American Women with Breast Cancer if you meet ALL of these MAIN criteria:

- You are a woman at least 18 years of age.
- You self-identify as African American.
- You have been diagnosed with breast cancer, including lobular carcinoma in-situ (LCIS) and ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS). Women diagnosed with Stage IV, metastatic breast cancer will not be eligible.
- You completed surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy 1-12 months ago (it is OK if you are on hormonal therapy, such as tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor).
- You have not been diagnosed with any other cancer besides breast cancer.
- You live in one of the following Southern California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino,or Riverside.

After you RSVP, the research team will contact you to ask additional questions to be sure that this study is a good fit for you.

Please log onto www.armyofwomen.org and go to the Login Section and search the Improving the Survivorship Care of African-American Women with Breast Cancer and sign up for the study.