title: Patient-reported quality of life, unmet needs and care coordination outcomes: Moving toward targeted breast cancer survivorship care planning.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Survivorship care plans (SCPs) have been proposed for universal use with the aim of addressing the many unmet needs of cancer survivors. Trials have failed to find a significant impact of SCPs on quality of life outcomes. This study evaluated quality of life, unmet needs, satisfaction with health care and perception of cancer care coordination at the end of treatment in a cohort of women at the end of treatment for early breast cancer. The aim was to identify specific needs to assist in the design of a tailored SCP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women completed patient-reported measures of health-related quality of life (FACT-B [ES]), unmet needs (CaSUN), satisfaction with medical care and cancer care coordination. Total scores and subscale scores for the whole cohort and results of analysis comparing three age groups were reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-eight women (mean age 56) participated. Mean score for FACT-B = 108 and FACT-B (ES) = 167.4. Younger women (<51 years) reported a significantly lower quality of life (P = 0.001 for FACT-B, TOI and FACT-B [ES]). Using CaSUN, 76.1% of participants reported at least one unmet need; mean number of unmet needs = 6.2. Younger women reported more unmet needs than older women. The most frequently reported unmet need was fear of cancer recurrence. Overall, participants were very satisfied with medical care and cancer care coordination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Younger women reported poorer quality of life and more unmet needs. SCPs should specifically target younger women and must include strategies to address fear of cancer recurrence if they are to lead to a measureable difference in outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Northern Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|The Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, The Mater Hospital, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Meagan Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group (PoCoG), The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Phyllis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Butow
authors.affiliation: Northern Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Royal North Shore and Mater Hospitals, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew John
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Spillane
authors.affiliation: Northern Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|The Patricia Ritchie Centre for Cancer Care and Research, The Mater Hospital, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boyle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors
keywords: breast cancer; follow-up care; quality of life; survivorship care plan; unmet need