The diagnosis and medical treatment of women with breast cancer in Ontario are generally satisfactory but they often struggle to find emotional support and guidance, suggests a three-year study released Tuesday.
Researchers consulted former patients, their personal caregivers, health-care professionals, and women not diagnosed with breast cancer for the study, conducted by the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation along with other organizations.
Breast cancer survivor Nancy Noble says she's been luckier than most while undergoing treatment. A new report suggests Ontario women with the disease aren't getting the support they need.
(CBC)
"Our research findings suggest a more integrated system of care is needed," said Sharon Wood, the chapter's executive director.
Breast cancer survivor Nancy Noble of London, Ont. who was diagnosed in 2004, said she didn't get all the coping tools she needed to get through her treatment.
"I was very lucky and fortunate with my health-care givers; they were incredible," Noble, 47, told CBC Newsworld.
"But it was the system, the disjointed lack of support. I guess I expected something a bit better, a handbook, consistent care that would have provided me with the tools I needed to get through it all."
Noble recalled that she had her chemotherapy treatments on Friday afternoons. She was handed a bag of medications to get her through until the next treatment, but when she got home on a long weekend, Noble found the bag contained the wrong medications.
It would take a few days to rectify the error, and then the pharmacy nearby didn't have the new drug on hand, said Noble, who was one of 137 women who participated in the study's community focus groups.
Noble said she was fortunate to have the financial resources to access what others missed out on, such as gel-packed mitts to prevent fingernails from falling off during a certain toxic chemotherapy treatment.
The report recommends changes in areas such as:
- Education and prevention.
- Screening mammography.
- Co-ordinated treatment and care.
- Improving communication among health-care providers.
- Providing more financial supports.
Breast-screening services should also be moved into the Ontario Breast Screening Program, the report said.
It is estimated more than 22,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to Canadian Cancer Statistics 2006, a report by the Canadian Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute of Canada.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
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