Implementation of a Cancer Navigation Intervention for Newly Diagnosed Survivors of Breast Cancer: Protocol for a...

Cancer inequities among vulnerable populations in rural areas remain a public health challenge in Canada. Rural populations are defined as vulnerable due to geographic isolation, limited access to specialized oncology care, and socioeconomic barriers such as transportation and financial toxicity. Professional navigation offers a potential solution to bridge these gaps, yet there is a lack of evidence on the barriers to and facilitators of its adoption in breast cancer survivorship.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a cancer navigation intervention using professional navigators compared to the standard of care (medical care) in improving the quality of life and functional outcomes of newly diagnosed survivors of breast cancer in interior British Columbia.

A single-center, parallel-group, open-cohort randomized controlled trial is being conducted over 3 years. Ethics approval was obtained for the study. Participants who provide informed consent are randomized into 2 groups: the intervention group receives the cancer navigation intervention and the control group receives the standard of care (the usual medical care offered by health care practitioners). The baseline study time point spanned January to March 2025, the first follow-up spanned April to June 2025 at 3 months after enrollment, and the second follow-up spanned July to September 2025 at the end of 6 months after enrollment. The cancer navigation intervention comprises direct psychosocial and educational webinars, coordinated telephone support services, and community-based cancer care resources. Professional navigators are qualified registered nurses who facilitate information and connect participants with available supportive resources, services, and programs. The main outcomes are financial distress, quality of life, and satisfaction with navigation and interpersonal relationships. The Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity-Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast, Breast Cancer Navigation Survey, Participant Satisfaction With Navigation Scale, Satisfaction With Interpersonal Relationships Survey, and Breast Cancer Navigation Interview are used in the study. Steps are being taken to ensure the trustworthiness of the qualitative data. With a 5% level of significance (2 tailed) and 90% power, the sample size was calculated as 108.

Data collection took place from January 2 to September 30, 2025. A total of 164 participants were recruited.

This study aims to demonstrate effectiveness and satisfaction with professional navigation and knowledge translation for future implementation of a cancer navigation intervention in British Columbia.