ABC‑SC Research

Supportive care for women with advanced breast cancer (ABC-SC) is funded by a Breast Cancer Society of Canada/QEII Foundation Award for Breast  Cancer Research, through the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute.

ABC-SC emerged from and is supported by NELS.

Using a participatory action research process, the project will bring together a group of innovative, young researchers with experienced cancer researchers to communicate and collaborate on their research to improve supportive care for women with advanced breast cancer.

The impact of ABC-SC is expected to include:

• new insights and interventions by cancer patient navigators who screen for distress
• a framework for guidelines for pain and other symptom control using medications
• development of a study of physical activity
• greater understanding of factors that influence the likelihood of receiving supportive cancer care including:
  • the impact of having diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease
  • living in a rural area
  • minority culture status
  • socio-demographic factors
• data to demonstrate the importance of listening to the views of next-of-kin
• an analysis of the type and extent of costs of supportive cancer care

A publication from this project is Increasing our understanding of dying of breast cancer: Comorbidities and care by GM Johnston, R Urquhart, L Lethbridge,and  M MacIntyre in Progress in Palliative Care.