Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges

Breast cancer presents a significant risk to public health and is the primary cause of cancer-related death in women. Awareness of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) continues to increase, and advances have been made; however, challenges remain for many patient populations that do not receive equal oppo...

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Main Authors: Fatima Cardoso, Rachel Wuerstlein, Tomoyuki Aruga, Renate Haidinger, Matteo Lambertini, Christine Benjamin, Elisenda Llabrés Valentí, Carmen Criscitiello, Matti Aapro, Generosa Grana, Sharon S. Gentry, Eduard Vrdoljak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-01-01
Series:The Breast Journal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/tbj/2461234
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author Fatima Cardoso
Rachel Wuerstlein
Tomoyuki Aruga
Renate Haidinger
Matteo Lambertini
Christine Benjamin
Elisenda Llabrés Valentí
Carmen Criscitiello
Matti Aapro
Generosa Grana
Sharon S. Gentry
Eduard Vrdoljak
author_facet Fatima Cardoso
Rachel Wuerstlein
Tomoyuki Aruga
Renate Haidinger
Matteo Lambertini
Christine Benjamin
Elisenda Llabrés Valentí
Carmen Criscitiello
Matti Aapro
Generosa Grana
Sharon S. Gentry
Eduard Vrdoljak
author_sort Fatima Cardoso
collection DOAJ
description Breast cancer presents a significant risk to public health and is the primary cause of cancer-related death in women. Awareness of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) continues to increase, and advances have been made; however, challenges remain for many patient populations that do not receive equal opportunities along the treatment pathway. The Underserved Patient Population (UPP) Coalition Task Force, a group of international experts in mBC, held meetings between 2022 and 2023 to prioritise the needs of UPPs and propose solutions. The key unmet needs identified included the following: delayed diagnosis of mBC due to difficulties in the presentation of patients to the healthcare system and a lack of primary care physician and non–breast cancer specialist understanding of the signs and symptoms of mBC; difficulty navigating the mBC patient pathway due to suboptimal use of multidisciplinary care and limited communication between HCPs; unequal access to the most appropriate mBC treatment options and supportive therapy due to the unconscious bias of HCPs, and direct and indirect financial toxicity for patients; and negative impact on QoL resulting from the limited uptake of shared decision-making, low prioritisation of patient preferences and a lack of personalised care. This paper aims to shine light on initiatives supporting underserved patients with mBC, illustrate the remaining gaps in care and call upon the global community to change how care is delivered to UPPs.
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series The Breast Journal
spelling doaj-art-6c1f69150f914493bb5a8e8a9e10ae202025-08-20T03:17:40ZengWileyThe Breast Journal1524-47412025-01-01202510.1155/tbj/2461234Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining ChallengesFatima Cardoso0Rachel Wuerstlein1Tomoyuki Aruga2Renate Haidinger3Matteo Lambertini4Christine Benjamin5Elisenda Llabrés Valentí6Carmen Criscitiello7Matti Aapro8Generosa Grana9Sharon S. Gentry10Eduard Vrdoljak11Advanced Breast Cancer Global AllianceDepartment of Obstetrics and GynecologyDepartment of SurgeryAdvanced Breast Cancer Global AllianceDepartment of Internal Medicine and Medical SpecialtiesSHARE Cancer SupportDepartment of Medical OncologyDivision of New Drugs and Early Drug DevelopmentDepartment of Medical OncologyMD Anderson Cancer Center at CooperAcademy of Oncology Nurse & Patient NavigatorsDepartment of OncologyBreast cancer presents a significant risk to public health and is the primary cause of cancer-related death in women. Awareness of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) continues to increase, and advances have been made; however, challenges remain for many patient populations that do not receive equal opportunities along the treatment pathway. The Underserved Patient Population (UPP) Coalition Task Force, a group of international experts in mBC, held meetings between 2022 and 2023 to prioritise the needs of UPPs and propose solutions. The key unmet needs identified included the following: delayed diagnosis of mBC due to difficulties in the presentation of patients to the healthcare system and a lack of primary care physician and non–breast cancer specialist understanding of the signs and symptoms of mBC; difficulty navigating the mBC patient pathway due to suboptimal use of multidisciplinary care and limited communication between HCPs; unequal access to the most appropriate mBC treatment options and supportive therapy due to the unconscious bias of HCPs, and direct and indirect financial toxicity for patients; and negative impact on QoL resulting from the limited uptake of shared decision-making, low prioritisation of patient preferences and a lack of personalised care. This paper aims to shine light on initiatives supporting underserved patients with mBC, illustrate the remaining gaps in care and call upon the global community to change how care is delivered to UPPs.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/tbj/2461234
spellingShingle Fatima Cardoso
Rachel Wuerstlein
Tomoyuki Aruga
Renate Haidinger
Matteo Lambertini
Christine Benjamin
Elisenda Llabrés Valentí
Carmen Criscitiello
Matti Aapro
Generosa Grana
Sharon S. Gentry
Eduard Vrdoljak
Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges
The Breast Journal
title Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges
title_full Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges
title_fullStr Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges
title_full_unstemmed Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges
title_short Underserved Patient Populations With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Review of Progress and Remaining Challenges
title_sort underserved patient populations with metastatic breast cancer a review of progress and remaining challenges
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/tbj/2461234
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