title: Perceptions of survivorship care among South Asian female breast cancer survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the perceptions of South Asian (sa) breast cancer survivors concerning their follow-up care, and to determine the optimal content and format of a survivorship care plan (scp) for this population, according to various life stages.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was mailed to 259 sa women with a diagnosis of nonmetastatic breast cancer who were 18-85 years of age, 3-60 months post-discharge, and not on active treatment. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were applied to the responses. The data were cross-tabulated by age: group A (<44 years), group B (45-54 years), group C (55-64 years), and group D (>64 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We received 64 completed surveys. The compliance rate for adjuvant hormonal therapy was high (86.3%). Most of the respondents (n = 61, 95.4%) had visited their family doctor within several months (0.5-24 months) after discharge. Their main physical effects concern was fatigue, and anxiety concerning health was the main psychosocial impact. Groups A and B were more concerned about physical appearance, depression, and the impact of cancer on family members. Women in the older groups were concerned about family obligations and work issues. Several women (n = 9, 14.1%) described strain on their marriage and on their relationships with family and friends as significant issues. Slightly more than one third (n = 24, 37.5%) experienced a deepening of faith, and almost as many (n = 23, 35.9%) felt that their illness was something that was meant to happen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many of the impacts of breast cancer treatment are shared by women of all ethnic backgrounds. Others-such as high levels of compliance, little reported strain on spousal and family relationships, and the importance of faith-reflect specific cultural variations. These universal and culture-specific themes should all be kept in mind when developing a scp tailored to sa women. The developmental life stage of a woman affects how she views the cancer diagnosis, especially with respect to family, reproduction, and work issues.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, California State University-Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh-Carlson
authors.forename: S K A
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wong
keywords: Breast cancer survivors; South Asian; follow-up cancer care; survivorship care plans
references.citation: Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2005 Mar-Apr;15(2):203-8
references.pmid: 15823100
references.citation: Can Oncol Nurs J. 2010 Fall;20(4):188-98
references.pmid: 21171542
references.citation: Support Care Cancer. 2012 Aug;20(8):1901-9
references.pmid: 21994001
references.citation: J Cancer Surviv. 2011 Dec;5(4):337-44
references.pmid: 21643836
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2003 Nov 1;21(21):4027-33
references.pmid: 14581426
references.citation: Support Care Cancer. 2005 Dec;13(12):1018-26
references.pmid: 15800768
references.citation: CA Cancer J Clin. 2012 Mar-Apr;62(2):101-17
references.pmid: 22241452
references.citation: J Immigr Minor Health. 2007 Oct;9(4):269-79
references.pmid: 17345153
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 1998 Dec;47(12):2075-85
references.pmid: 10075248
references.citation: J Adv Nurs. 2000 Feb;31(2):314-21
references.pmid: 10672088
references.citation: J Health Psychol. 2010 May;15(4):615-26
references.pmid: 20460418
references.citation: Fam Community Health. 2007 Jan-Mar;30(1):16-28
references.pmid: 17149029
references.citation: Health Rep. 2012 Mar;23(1):7-16
references.pmid: 22590801
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2003 Feb 15;21(4):602-6
references.pmid: 12586795
references.citation: Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2008 Jun;12(3):479-87
references.pmid: 18515246
references.citation: Psychooncology. 2013 Jan;22(1):125-32
references.pmid: 21956765
references.citation: Curr Oncol. 2011 Oct;18(5):e218-26
references.pmid: 21980253
references.citation: Curr Oncol. 2013 Apr;20(2):e63-79
references.pmid: 23559888
references.citation: J Pain Symptom Manage. 2008 Jun;35(6):644-55
references.pmid: 18358687
references.citation: J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2007 Nov;16(9):1348-61
references.pmid: 18001192
references.citation: Cancer Nurs. 2007 Jul-Aug;30(4):E36-45
references.pmid: 17666972
references.citation: Int J Nurs Stud. 2008 Feb;45(2):266-76
references.pmid: 17049350
references.citation: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011 Mar 11;60(9):269-72
references.pmid: 21389929
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2011 Mar 20;29(9):1101-9
references.pmid: 21300931
references.citation: Cancer J. 2008 Nov-Dec;14(6):410-3
references.pmid: 19060606
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Nov;24 Suppl 2:S459-66
references.pmid: 19838851
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Nov;24 Suppl 2:S467-71
references.pmid: 19838852
references.citation: Support Care Cancer. 2007 May;15(5):515-23
references.pmid: 17120068
references.citation: J Cancer Surviv. 2009 Dec;3(4):212-22
references.pmid: 19760151
references.citation: Oncol Nurs Forum. 2011 May;38(3):279-88
references.pmid: 21531679
references.citation: Breast. 2011 Jun;20(3):271-7
references.pmid: 21236671
references.citation: Am J Psychiatry. 1996 Aug;153(8):1043-9
references.pmid: 8678173
references.citation: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2005 Aug;92(3):217-22
references.pmid: 16155792