The objective of the proposed qualitative anthropological study is to describe and examine the reasons for the use of unconventional and/or biomedical cancer treatments among 80 women with clinically-diagnosed breast cancer in San Francisco, California. The study population will consist of two age cohorts of women (35-49 and 60-74) representing three ethnic groups: European American, African American, and Chinese American. This study will investigate social and behavioral factors that play a role in cancer treatment choices, with a focus on life-stage comparisons and an exploratory approach to the influence of ethnicity. The study has three specific aims: (1) to determine the factors that distinguish unconventional cancer treatment users from non-users in the study population; (2) to explore and analyze the reasons for the selection of specific treatments (either biomedical or unconventional) or combinations of treatments (both biomedical and unconventional); and (3) to determine the different configurations of treatment combinations and the manner in which conflicting methods are reconciled. Data will be collected through a series of four in depth semistructured interviews with women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The potential informants will be identified through a rapid case-finding service of the Northern California Cancer Center. Informants will be interviewed initially within approximately two months of diagnosis and three more times at 6 months, 18 months, and 30 months. The data analysis will be undertaken using techniques of qualitative content analysis. The Ethnograph, a social science computer software program, will be used to facilitate the management, sorting, coding, analysis of the text-based qualitative data.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
5R29CA064634-04
Application #
2683573
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BEM (03))
Project Start
1995-04-01
Project End
2000-03-31
Budget Start
1998-04-01
Budget End
1999-03-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Francisco
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
073133571
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94143