A multilevel investigation of inequalities in clinical and psychosocial outcomes for women after breast cancer

BMC Cancer

Study Protocol

Suzanne K Chambers¹  Christopher Pyke²  Gavin Turrell³  Jeffrey Dunn⁴  Joanne F Aitken⁵  Philippa H Youl⁵  Peter D Baade⁶ 

[1] Griffith Health Institute, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, 4222, QLD, Australia;Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, Cancer Council Queensland, PO Box 201, 4004, Spring Hill, QLD, Australia;University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, QLD, Australia;Mater Breast Care Unit, Mater Hospital, Raymond Terrace, 4001, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia;School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Herston Road, 4059, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia;Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, Cancer Council Queensland, PO Box 201, 4004, Spring Hill, QLD, Australia;Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, Cancer Council Queensland, PO Box 201, 4004, Spring Hill, QLD, Australia;Griffith Health Institute, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, 4222, QLD, Australia;Viertel Centre for Research in Cancer Control, Cancer Council Queensland, PO Box 201, 4004, Spring Hill, QLD, Australia;Griffith Health Institute, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, 4222, QLD, Australia;School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Herston Road, 4059, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia;

关键词: Breast Cancer;    Psychosocial Outcome;    Indigenous Status;    Post Diagnosis;    Statistical Local Area;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2407-11-415

 received in 2011-08-26, accepted in 2011-09-28,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn Australia, breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting Australian women. Inequalities in clinical and psychosocial outcomes have existed for some time, affecting particularly women from rural areas and from areas of disadvantage. We have a limited understanding of how individual and area-level factors are related to each other, and their associations with survival and other clinical and psychosocial outcomes.Methods/DesignThis study will examine associations between breast cancer recurrence, survival and psychosocial outcomes (e.g. distress, unmet supportive care needs, quality of life). The study will use an innovative multilevel approach using area-level factors simultaneously with detailed individual-level factors to assess the relative importance of remoteness, socioeconomic and demographic factors, diagnostic and treatment pathways and processes, and supportive care utilization to clinical and psychosocial outcomes. The study will use telephone and self-administered questionnaires to collect individual-level data from approximately 3, 300 women ascertained from the Queensland Cancer Registry diagnosed with invasive breast cancer residing in 478 Statistical Local Areas Queensland in 2011 and 2012. Area-level data will be sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics census data. Geo-coding and spatial technology will be used to calculate road travel distances from patients' residence to diagnostic and treatment centres. Data analysis will include a combination of standard empirical procedures and multilevel modelling.DiscussionThe study will address the critical question of: what are the individual- or area-level factors associated with inequalities in outcomes from breast cancer? The findings will provide health care providers and policy makers with targeted information to improve the management of women with breast cancer, and inform the development of strategies to improve psychosocial care for women with breast cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Youl et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011