Major concerns and needs of breast cancer patients

Between 1989 and 1991, 102 breast cancer patients completed a questionnaire survey on concerns and needs at their first visit to the University Clinic after they were diagnosed or treated for breast cancer at other clinics. T heir major concerns and needs were health, family, finances, work, the futu re, self-esteem, counseling and support for themselves and their family. Ma rried women and those younger than 50 years were more likely to have concer ns about their family. Nonwhites had move concerns about finances and work than white women, with an odds ratio (OR) of 6.58. Older women and those ma rried, however, had less concerns about finances and work than younger wome n and those not married with ORs of 0.96 and 0.34, respectively. Fewer nonw hite than white patients expressed concerns about their future (OR = 0.31). Young women were more concerned about self-esteem than older women. More n onwhites than whites and more married than unmarried women expressed needs for family counseling and support (OR = 3.58 and 3.68, respectively). Help for interpreting information was required more frequently by nonwhites than whites (OR = 7.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.19-24.00). Nonwhite wo men also tended to require more referrals than whites. In summary, major co ncerns and needs varied among patients of different demographic characteris tics, especially those of age, race, and marital status.