Women found to have dense breast tissue on a screening mammogram have 2-6 times increased risk of developing breast cancer. However, women with dense breast tissue may experience barriers, such as lack of knowledge about dense breast tissue and the risk of breast cancer, a general fear of breast cancer, lack of transportation to medical care, or financial difficulties for supplemental screening.
The AWARE study is a randomized study to test the feasibility of patient navigation, an evidence-based, patient-centered approach to overcome barriers to cancer-related care, for women with dense breast tissue. The study is being conducted by investigators within the Department of Public Health Sciences, Radiology, Family and Community Medicine, in conjunction with the Penn State Breast Center and the Penn State Cancer Institute.
The study began in June 2018 and has enrolled 25 participants from the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The participants were randomized into two groups: an intervention group who receive telephone-based navigation and a control group who received usual care. Over 12 weeks, there were multiple touchpoints from a patient navigator to discuss participant’s questions or concerns about their diagnosis and follow up plan.
The study is examining two questions:
- whether telephone-based navigation for women with dense breast tissue improves knowledge, attitude, and behaviors related to dense breast tissue, compared to usual care
- if navigation changes the rate at which women receive supplemental breast cancer screening, compared to usual care
Preliminary results show that this navigation is a feasible option to improve knowledge, attitude, and behaviors for women with dense breast tissue. Initial results also show that navigation helped resolve the barriers that participants report; however, not every participant indicated that they had barriers to address.
To finish recruitment for this feasibility study, we expanded the study to other screening sites, modified the navigation delivery, and posted a study recruiter within the clinic to enroll participants immediately. CaNSuN members can help spread the word about the study within their clinics and communities. Consider sharing the study’s Studyfinder page with your network or refer potential participants directly to the study team. For more information, please contact Sol Rodríguez-Colón at 717-531-8470 or toll free at 1-877-455-3311, or email at srodriguez@psu.edu.
