Abstract
Background: There are 4 components of survivorship care: prevention, surveillance, interventions, and coordination between oncology and primary care/specialists. As part of the initial visit in Moffitt’s survivorship program, we provide a comprehensive and personalized care plan to our patients with a focus on wellness. We understand the transition from active treatment into the extended phase of survivorship can be fraught with many unexpected physical, emotional, psychological, and social challenges, yet this could also be a critical period where survivors are uniquely positioned to adopt healthy and resilient behaviors. We want to help patients be empowered through knowledge from interactive and multidisciplinary classes and we aim at improving their quality of life. Methods: We created an 8-week curriculum customized and designed for breast cancer survivors by experts in nutrition, social work, physical therapy, yoga, arts in medicine, and survivorship medicine with utilization technique–driven live food demonstrations. The core message of the series is further echoed and instilled by use of weekly journaling and guidance on how to practice the techniques following each class. Results: We completed one 8-week course. 15 patients were enrolled in the program; of these 9–12 participants consistently presented to the sessions. Sessions consisted in education regarding nutrition, emotional health, exercise, mindfulness, and medical management after completing cancer treatment. To further determine the impact of sessions, we are measuring change in health-related quality of life through the RAND-36 questionnaire with a precourse survey and a postcourse survey. As we continue our sessions and our patient population increases, we expect to have substantial data to report on the impact of this curriculum. Conclusions: It is estimated that there are more than 3.1 million women in the United States with history of breast cancer. Development of a multidisciplinary program focused in comprehensive care for breast cancer survivors may improve quality of life. These techniques can positively impact the transition from active treatment and position survivors to be better managers of their wellness.
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More From: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
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