A Quarter of Women with Breast Cancer not Discussing Newest
Treatment Options with Their Physician
Better Treatment Approaches not Reaching Thousands of Women
"The good news is that women with breast cancer are becoming increasingly proactive about their care and are engaging in meaningful conversations with their oncologists about what they have learned," said Selma Schimmel, CEO and founder of Vital Options International. "But, the not-so-good news is that many postmenopausal women on Tamoxifen or women who have read or heard about advances in hormonal therapies, still aren't discussing alternatives with their doctors, even when the latest therapies have been shown to reduce recurrence and may impact survival."
The survey found that women with breast cancer are redefining the term "patient" and becoming proactive medical consumers, with nearly one in five respondents actively seeking information about breast cancer once a week. These women are getting information about breast cancer and newer treatment options from a number of sources, including their health provider (93 percent), the Internet (67 percent), friends and family (31 percent), television, magazines and newspapers (21 percent) and patient advocacy groups (15 percent).
"It's wonderful to see that many women are being proactive and seeking information from a variety of sources, and it's important to encourage all women with breast cancer to follow suit." said Dr. William Gradishar, Professor of Medicine & Director of Breast Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
About the Survey
The goal of the national survey was to determine patients' knowledge about newer
breast cancer treatment options and assess patients' comfort level with speaking
to their doctor about such treatments. There were 401 survey respondents, all
women diagnosed with breast cancer, with a median age of 56. Nearly one quarter
of the respondents were postmenopausal women currently on Tamoxifen. Funding for
the survey was provided by Pfizer Oncology.
In an upcoming breast cancer special on Vital Options' nationally syndicated weekly call-in cancer talk radio show The Group Room, Dr. William Gradishar will further discuss the survey findings and provide tips to help women engage in conversations with their oncologist about new treatment options. The show will air on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006 from 4 to 6 p.m. EST. Listeners may join the discussion by calling 1-800-GRP-ROOM. For more information, please visit www.vitaloptions.org.
About Vital Options International
Founded in 1983, Vital Options was the first
psychosocial and advocacy organization for young adults with cancer, before expanding
into an international cancer communications organization for people of all ages
and cancer types with the launch of The Group Room®
in 1996. Vital Options International
is noted for its pioneering approach in using cutting edge technology to
communicate about cancer, and recently launched CancerTalksm,
the first Internet radio show which integrates visual components and medical illustrations
to complement and support the physician discussion. Vital
Options maintains an award winning website having been named in Forbes
Best of the Web Directory, as well as receiving the Editor's Choice Award from
OncoLink. Vital Options International
is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Southern California, with its
European division based in Paris, France, at the American Hospital of Paris.
