Survivorship care engagement with American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers.

Abstract

814 Background: American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) survivors are at significant risk for GI cancers, and also represent an underserved medical population. Gastrointestinal cancers represent the third most commonly diagnosed cancers in the AI/AN population and are a leading cause of death. Survivorship resources tailored for the AI/AN population are sparse and patterns of survivorship care poorly understood. Methods: The OncoLife survivorship care plan has been through the OncoLink website since 2007. The tool is free and publically available. It asks survivors to enter data regarding diagnosis, demographics, and treatments, and provides customized guidelines for future care. All research is IRB approved. Results: Over the past 12 years, the OncoLife tool has been utilized by >85,000 persons, with survivors of GI cancer representing 10-12% of users each year. Most users are women (75%) and Caucasian (80%). American Indian and Alaska Native survivors represent <1% of users since the launch of the tool. Of 519 AI/AN users, median age was 54 years, and 76% identified as female. Of plans created for AI/AN survivors, 13% were for survivors of GI cancers, with the most common GI diagnosis being colorectal cancer (74%), followed by pancreas (11%) and anal (6%). Most plans (73%) were created by HCP, with the remainder by survivors themselves; 20% of AI/ AN users completing plans requested information on smoking cessation as part of their care plan. Conclusions: American Indian and Alaska Native survivors represent a very small minority of survivors utilizing this free Internet-based tool, with most plans for this population being created by healthcare providers and not by survivors themselves. Future efforts should be directed at supporting this underserved population with survivorship information, particularly given high risk of morbidity and mortality related to GI cancers.