Special Needs of Young Women with Breast Cancer in Limited Resource Settings

Carmen L. Gálvez-Hernández, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan), Mexico City, Mexico
María Cecilia González-Robledo, Centro de Investigación en Sistemas de Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Mor., Mexico
Regina Barragan-Carrillo, Joven & Fuerte: Program for the Care and Research of Young Women with Breast Cancer in Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Cynthia Villarreal-Garza, Department of Research and Breast Tumors, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan), Mexico City; Breast Cancer Center, Hospital Zambrano Hellion, Tecnológico de Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey, N.L.; Joven & Fuerte: Program for the Care and Research of Young Women with Breast Cancer in Mexico, Mexico City;, Mexico

Background: Young women with breast cancer (YWBC) comprise a group of patients with unique biopsychosocial characteristics with a special perception of needs throughout their disease and survivorship. Contexts marked by restricted allocations and economic constraints might further aggravate the struggle of these patients living within limited resource settings and can demand added requirements for them and their families. Objective: To analytically explore the existing knowledge regarding the needs of YWBC in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Methods: We conducted a thorough literature review of scientific journal databases available in Spanish and English containing information on YWBC in LMICs. Results: We did not find any publications exclusively assessing this topic in resource-limited settings. We looked for data on the different types of YW need from studies in the region that assessed the needs of breast cancer (BC) patients in general and described in their findings the particularities of young patients. Young BC patients described within the literature present a variety of needs. Those reported most frequently as unmet were related to information needs and psychological counseling, practical and physical assistance, and social and spiritual support. Conclusions: Published literature on the subject - particularly in Latin America - is extremely scarce. This offers an area of opportunity for conducting further research in this topic that would help improve health professional training and establish health policies in favor of YWBC.

Keywords: Needs assessment. Supportive care needs. Breast cancer. Young women. Low- and middle-income countries. Latin America.