Cuellar, Idali

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Breast Cancer Education Intervention (BCEI) program in increasing knowledge and awareness of survivorship topics among survivor advocates and survivors, and to assess the impact of survivorship care plans on quality of life. Breast cancer survivorship care is crucial for improving the quality of life among survivors. Hispanic/Latino women face greater challenges and disparities in accessing survivorship care due to cultural, socioeconomic, and systemic barriers. The BCEI program, adapted from the National Cancer Institute’s model, aims to address these disparities through culturally tailored survivorship education and support. Methods: The BCEI program was piloted with a group of 8 Hispanic/Latino breast cancer survivors, in collaboration with Cancer Support Community Arizona (CSCAZ). This six-month program, created and delivered in Spanish, consisted of bi- monthly in-person sessions and phone check-ins. The educational sessions featured topics such as emotional and physical changes, lifestyle behaviors, nutrition, exercise, and psychological distress along with the introduction of a personalized survivorship care plan. These sessions provided a sense of community and emotional support with essential knowledge and understanding of the cancer journey, addressing gaps caused by language barriers in clinical settings, and the lack of Spanish language support groups. Survivor advocates underwent specialized training to effectively support the survivor participants. Data for the BCEI program was collected through pre and post survey evaluations, participant check-ins, and qualitative feedback. Survivors were paired with bilingual Patient Navigators, who connected them to resources in the community. Results: Preliminary results show a significant improvement in survivors’ knowledge and satisfaction with survivorship care. Participants demonstrated an increased awareness of the importance of survivorship care plans and showed positive changes in lifestyle behaviors. The results highlighted the program’s cultural tailoring and sense of community as key success factors. Conclusion: The Breast Cancer Education Intervention program demonstrates potential in addressing health disparities in breast cancer survivorship among Hispanic/Latino women. Building on this success, we are expanding the BCEI program to include a second iteration focused on Black and African American breast cancer survivors, who also face similar challenges and disparities. The program will be implemented in collaboration with the Coalition of Blacks Against Breast Cancer (CBBC). Citation Format: Idali Cuellar, Farhia M. Omar. Improving quality of life for Hispanic breast cancer survivors: A culturally tailored education intervention [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B043.

91 Background: Most screening clinical trials are not representative of the populations susceptible to disparities in breast cancer outcomes. Strategies are needed to address known structural barriers to clinical trial participation. We partnered with a federally qualified health center to provide no-cost ride-share services as a strategy to facilitate enrollment of uninsured, Hispanic women in Maricopa County, Arizona into a national trial offering no-cost mammography screening. Objective: This pilot survey study explored the feasibility and experiences of uninsured, Hispanic women with a no-cost ride share program as part of the National Cancer Institute funded ECOG-ACRIN clinical trial, TMIST, studying mammography screening at the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Phoenix. Methods: Participants completed a validated survey by phone and interview-style. Survey items assessed women’s use of and experiences with the ride share service including barriers, benefits, and if the ride share service facilitated their participation in the screening trial. Descriptive statistics were calculated using SAS. Results: A total of 30 women completed the survey (response rate = 30/33). All women first-time Mayo Clinic trial participants and 90% lived at least 30 minutes away from trial facility. The mean age of women was X years, 90% had a high school degree or less, and 97% were Spanish speaking. Most women (73.7%) said that travel distance was a barrier to participation in prior clinical trials. A large proportion of women (73%) reported using ride share services for this trial and all agreed that the ride service made it easier for them to attend their trial visit. Nearly 1/3 (64%) said that they were uncertain or would not have been able to participate without the ride-share as an option. Among women using the ride share service, the main benefits of the program included at-home pick up and the service being of no-cost. Other benefits included flexible timing (86%) and one-on-one service (86%). The primary barrier of the program was the driver not speaking the dominant native language (27.3%). Conclusions: Despite lengthy travel distances, women reported overwhelming positive experiences with the no-cost ride share program and agreed that the service helped facilitate their participation in the clinical trial. Thus, no-cost ride share programs are a promising and feasible strategy to reduce barriers to clinical trial participation among historically underserved populations. Future studies should continue to explore the benefits and sustainability of ride-share programs, including benefits to clinical trial retention.

Introduction: Minority communities have had limited access to advances in genomic medicine. Mayo Clinic and Mountain Park Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona, partnered to assess the feasibility of offering genomic screening to Latino patients receiving care at a community-based health center. We examined primary care provider (PCP) experiences reporting genomic screening results and integrating those results into patient care. Methods: We conducted open-ended, semi-structured interviews with PCPs and other members of the health care team charged with supporting patients who received positive genomic screening results. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed thematically. Results: Of the 500 patients who pursued genomic screening, 10 received results indicating a genetic variant that warranted clinical management. PCPs felt genomic screening was valuable to patients and their families, and that genomic research should strive to include underrepresented minorities. Providers identified multiple challenges integrating genomic sequencing into patient care, including difficulties maintaining patient contact over time; arranging follow-up medical care; and managing results in an environment with limited genetics expertise. Providers also reflected on the ethics of offering genomic sequencing to patients who may not be able to pursue diagnostic testing or follow-up care due to financial constraints. Conclusions: Our results highlight the potential benefits and challenges of bringing advances in precision medicine to community-based health centers serving under-resourced populations. By proactively considering patient support needs, and identifying financial assistance programs and patient-referral mechanisms to support patients who may need specialized medical care, PCPs and other health care providers can help to ensure that precision medicine lives up to its full potential as a tool for improving patient care.