Health disparities in practice and research for aging women with cancer

The purpose of this article is to examine health needs as well as disparities in practice and research pertaining to aging women with cancer. Given the increasing number of aging women with cancer and the concomitant challenges in survivorship, caregivers need research and improved clinical care to identify needs and enhance cancer survivors' quality of life. The authors use inner strength as a theoretical framework to discuss examples of practice and strategies to improve health outcomes and assess health needs in aging women with cancer. Because researchers find it difficult to identify gender-specific and culturally appropriate instruments, the authors conducted a pilot test on an inner strength questionnaire to identify potential problems in instrumentation and data collection with aging women. Ultimately, a therapeutic partnership between patient and care provider should be based on mutual goal setting and identifying all the dimensions of a women's health status with valid and reliable research instruments and practice strategies.