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A Cross-Sectional Study of Distress Levels in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer: The Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Language Preference

  • Breast Oncology
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Our objective was to assess distress levels in female breast cancer patients as a function of race, ethnicity, and preferred language. We hypothesized minority patients and non-English screen-takers would report higher distress levels compared to English screen-takers and non-Hispanic whites.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational study of female breast cancer patients at an NCI designated cancer center from 2009 to 2016 who were administered a validated biopsychosocial distress screening questionnaire. Self-reported data on race and ethnicity was collected.

Results

A total of 3,156 patients were included in the analysis; mean age of 56.3 (SD 12.25) years. The racial/ethnic cohort distribution included 54% non-Hispanic white (NHW), 19% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 7% Black/African American, and 4% other. On multivariable analysis only Hispanic patients were significantly more likely to report overall distress compared to NHW (OR [1.39; CI [1.03-1.87; p=0.03). Asians were significantly less likely to report distress in the functional domain (OR 0.71, CI [0.58-0.88]; p=0.002), while Black patients were significantly more likely to report highest distress levels in the physical (OR 1.53, CI [1.11-2.12]; p=0.01) domain. Hispanic Spanish screen-takers reported significantly more distress compared to Hispanic English screen-takers across all four domains of distress (p<0.05 for all).

Conclusions

Top sources of distress in female breast cancer patients vary as a function of race, ethnicity, and preferred language. Future studies should focus on identifying effective, culturally appropriate targeted interventions to mitigate emotional distress levels in ethnic and racial minorities as well as non-English speaking patients with breast cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA

    Lorena Gonzalez MD, Laura Kruper MD, MS & Veronica Jones MD

  2. Department of Supportive Care Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA

    Canlan Sun PhD, Matthew Loscalzo LCSW & Karen Clark MS

  3. Department of Medical Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA

    Joanne Mortimer MD

Authors
  1. Lorena Gonzalez MD
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  2. Canlan Sun PhD
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  3. Matthew Loscalzo LCSW
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  4. Karen Clark MS
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  5. Laura Kruper MD, MS
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  6. Joanne Mortimer MD
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  7. Veronica Jones MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lorena Gonzalez MD.

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Dislosures

Joanne Mortimer, Puma DSMB, Novartis Consulting, GSK Consulting, Mesoblast Consulting, Incyte Consulting, Karen Clark, SupportScreen is a licensed technology of City of Hope.

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Gonzalez, L., Sun, C., Loscalzo, M. et al. A Cross-Sectional Study of Distress Levels in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer: The Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Language Preference. Ann Surg Oncol 29, 981–988 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-021-10561-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-021-10561-6

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