Our Study

Although breast cancer mortality rates have declined significantly in recent decades, black women, who have a lower incidence of the disease, still die from breast cancer at disproportionate rates compared to white women. Because of the increased likelihood of morbidity and mortality after a breast cancer diagnosis, engaging in advance care planning (ACP) is critical for black women to plan for future medical treatment and end-of-life care. Conversations about ACP have been shown to reduce hospitalizations among patients with advanced disease. However, rates of ACP are low in the U.S., especially among black patients with advanced cancer. Needed are interventions that increase ACP among black patients with breast cancer, a group at high risk of advanced disease and mortality. For our study, we will extract data from the Clinical Research Data Warehouse to identify the occurrence, frequency, and patterns of documenting discussions about advance directives with black women with breast cancer. Data from electronic health records and focus group assessments can help us propose a new model of care that emphasizes early intervention and changes in trajectories of physical, functional, and psychological morbidity.