Breast Cancer Survivors Carry Optimistic Outlook on Life, Yet Lack Critical Information about Reducing Recurrence
07 August 2007 - 4:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
NEW YORK, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The majority of breast cancer
survivors consider themselves stronger after having the disease,
according to new survey results released today. However, the data
also suggest women's knowledge about actions they can take to
lessen the likelihood of recurrence is surprisingly low. The
survey, which was commissioned by AstraZeneca and conducted by
Harris Interactive, consisted of interviews with 543 women in the
United States who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The vast
majority (92 percent) of these women reported a positive change in
their lifestyles since being diagnosed with the disease and nearly
two-thirds (63 percent) said they are hopeful and optimistic about
the future. Nearly 9 in 10 (87 percent) said that having breast
cancer made them a stronger person and about four in five (83
percent) said they were better able to put their lives in
perspective. Due to the significant focus on early detection and
recent medical and scientific advances, women are surviving breast
cancer, remaining disease-free and living longer and healthier
lives. The survey also showed that breast cancer survivors are more
likely to identify a great deal with other women who have had the
disease (66 percent) than with people of the same ethnic/racial
background (41 percent) or religious beliefs (40 percent). The
survivorship community continues to flourish with more than 2.3
million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. today, making this the
largest group of cancer survivors.(1) Interestingly, the same
survey results also suggest that there may be a "disconnect" with
information regarding the chances of breast cancer returning. While
the majority (78 percent) of women who have had breast cancer are
concerned about recurrence, 30 percent don't believe and 23 percent
aren't sure there is anything they can do to lessen the likelihood
of a breast cancer recurrence and only about half (55 percent) have
spoken to their doctor about recurrence. The survey suggests that
more action and education is needed about the many ways, such as
healthier eating, reducing stress and taking hormonal therapy,
women can help reduce the risk of recurrence. "For most women, a
diagnosis of breast cancer has a significant impact on their
lifestyle and the way they monitor their health. We want to support
all women who have had breast cancer in getting the best
information available to help them remain disease-free for as long
as possible," said Jean A. Sachs, MSS, MLSP, executive director of
Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization based outside
of Philadelphia. "We strongly encourage women who have had breast
cancer and their loved ones to speak with their health care
professionals to obtain the facts." According to the survey, more
breast cancer survivors (72 percent) said they relied heavily on
their doctors or health professionals in their path to recovery
than said they relied on either friends (67 percent) or spouse (52
percent). The majority of respondents, 89 percent, said that they
are somewhat involved/not involved in a breast cancer survivor
community, and thus might lack the support and access to timely
information that they need. The majority (87 percent) of breast
cancer survivors surveyed said having the disease made them a
stronger person, and 63 percent of all respondents are hopeful and
optimistic about the future. For more information about breast
cancer and recurrence, visit http://www.getbcfacts.com/. SURVEY
METHODOLOGY This survey was conducted online within the United
States by Harris Interactive on behalf of AstraZeneca between April
17 and 30, 2007 among 555 U.S. women ages 18 and older who have
been diagnosed with breast cancer. All figures presented here
reflect the responses of women who are now free from breast cancer
or currently have Stage 0 to IIIA breast cancer (excluding those
with Stage IIIB and Stage IV breast cancer). Figures for age,
race/ethnicity, education, region, and household income were
weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual
proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also
used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. With a
pure probability sample of 555, one could say with a ninety-five
percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling
error of +/- 6.5 percentage points. Sampling error for data based
on sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does
not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is
not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical
sampling error can be calculated. ABOUT BREAST CANCER Breast cancer
is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and is the second
leading cause of cancer deaths in women, exceeded only by lung
cancer. It is estimated that 40,460 women will die of the disease
in 2007.(2) Mammography screening, which is recommended annually
for women 40 years of age and older, frequently detects early signs
of breast cancer and, thus, improves survival chances. After
increasing for over two decades, female breast cancer incidence
rates leveled off from 2001 to 2003.(2) Mortality rates in women
have steadily declined since 1990, decreasing by 3.3 percent per
year in women younger than 50 and 2.0 percent per year in those 50
years and older.(2) ABOUT HARRIS INTERACTIVE Harris Interactive is
the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the
world. The company provides innovative research, insights and
strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions
which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance.
Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the
longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering
online market research methods. The company has built what it
believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the
Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide
through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its
wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG
in Germany, and through a global network of independent market
research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be
obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/. To become a member
of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online
surveys, register at http://www.harrispollonline.com/. ABOUT
ASTRAZENECA AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare
business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and
marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of
healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading
pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion
and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,
neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products.
AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index
(Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. In the United States,
AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare business with more than
12,000 employees. For nearly three decades, AstraZeneca has offered
drug assistance programs side by side with its medicines, and over
the past five years, has provided over $3 billion in savings to
more than 1 million patients throughout the US and Puerto Rico.
AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for
Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and is the only large
pharmaceutical company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of
"100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2006, for the fifth
consecutive year, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top
Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected
biopharmaceutical employers. For more information about
AstraZeneca, please visit: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/ (1)
Doubeni, C. A., Field, T. S., Ulcickas, Y. M., Rolnick, S. J.,
Quessenberry, C. P., Fouayzi, H., et al. (2006). Patterns and
predictors of mammography utilization among breast cancer
survivors. Cancer, 106(11), 2482- 2488, (June 1). (2) American
Cancer Society, "Cancer Facts & Figures," 2007 DATASOURCE:
AstraZeneca CONTACT: Laurie Casaday of AstraZeneca, +1-302-290-2624
Web site: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/ http://www.getbcfacts.com/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/985887.html
Copyright