Breast cancer treatment experiences of Latinas in Los Angeles County.
OBJECTIVE
We examined breast cancer treatment experiences of and outcomes for Latinas in Los Angeles County.


METHODS
We conducted a population-based survey of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between December 2001 and November 2002 (n=910) to evaluate the types of treatments received, communication with clinicians, and satisfaction.


RESULTS
About two thirds were non-Latina White, 18.8% were African American, and 18.9% were Latina (with 11.0% preferring English and 7.9% preferring Spanish). The rest indicated other ethnic groups. Latinas who preferred Spanish were more likely to experience a delay of 3 months or more from diagnosis to surgical treatment (36.4% vs 9.1% for non-Latina Whites, 18.6% for African Americans, and 12.7%, for other Latinas, P<.001). African Americans and Latinas who preferred Spanish had very low rates of reconstruction (13.8% and 9.2%, respectively, compared with 42.1% for Whites and 34.5% for Latinas who preferred English, P=.009). Latinas who preferred Spanish had the highest odds ratio for low satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
Latinas who preferred Spanish received different treatments and perceived a different treatment experience than did other cultural groups.
Katz
Steven J
SJ
Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0429, USA. skatz@umich.edu
Lantz
Paula M
PM
Paredes
Yvonne
Y
Janz
Nancy K
NK
Fagerlin
Angela
A
Liu
Lihua
L
Deapen
Dennis
D
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires