Navigator utilization among African-American breast cancer patients at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

Patient navigation has been demonstrated to improve access to standard-of-care oncologic therapy. However, many patients - particularly those of African-American race - often do not have access to navigation upon receiving a diagnosis of cancer. As the most common cancer among African-American women is breast cancer, we sought to assess the rate of patient navigation among African-American breast cancer patients at our institution, which resides in a regional ZIP code comprised of 46% African-American residents.

African-American breast cancer patients who had been discussed at our weekly breast cancer multidisciplinary tumor board over a recent three-month period were assessed by a patient navigator representing the Navigator-Assisted Hypofractionation (NAVAH) program to determine their access to navigation in their cancer care. Responses were assessed from a breast cancer support group and culled to determine a baseline proportion of navigation utilization.

A total of 18 women of African-American race having been diagnosed with breast cancer were identified and assessed. Of these a total of 4 noted that they had received navigation, yielding a navigation utilization percentage of 22.2% among African-American breast cancer patients at our institution.

The rate of navigation utilization among African-American breast cancer patients is poor. Despite our center residing in a region comprised of increased African-Americans, such predominance has not translated into optimizing navigation access for African-American breast cancer patients. This 22% rate of navigation utilization serves as a starting benchmark for initiatives such as the NAVAH program to provide tangible improvement in this patient population.