Weill Cornell Medicine receives CDC grant to improve care for young breast cancer patients

Weill Cornell Medicine has received a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve equitable access to care, quality of life and survival outcomes for young people with all stages of breast cancer.

The grant will enable Weill Cornell Medicine to enhance care coordination for patients and caregivers to optimize support of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual needs, while offering culturally relevant resources and targeted interventions. The initiative will include a focus on racially, ethnically and socio-economically diverse young breast cancer survivors across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, including Black, Asian and Jewish women, with the goal of reducing symptom burden, increasing adherence to treatment and follow-up care, and improving survival outcomes.

Targeted educational materials, in-person learning opportunities, coordinated strategies to lessen treatment side effects and dedicated clinics serving specific populations will help ensure patients “continue to live with the best possible quality of life, take care of their loved ones, work and do whatever they desire with as little interruption as possible,” said oncologist and principal investigator Dr. Vered Stearns, who in 2023 was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine as a professor of medicine from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Younger people continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer at an increasing rate in the United States. About 10% of all new breast cancer cases occur in those 45 and younger. Underrepresented subgroups in the United States are more likely to experience delays in diagnosis or poorer outcomes. Black women, for example, have the lowest survival rate for all stages of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Young women with breast cancer often present with tumors that are biologically more aggressive. These patients have a set of unique needs and can certainly benefit from improved care coordination and support services.”

Dr. Tessa Cigler, co-principal investigator, associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and attending oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Strategies to enhance education and care

Drs. Stearns and Cigler will engage community stakeholders and lead a cross-disciplinary team of Weill Cornell Medicine experts on the initiative.

Investigators will review educational materials for patients and treatment practices at Weill Cornell Medicine-affiliated NewYork-Presbyterian sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, combined with a needs assessment using patient questionnaires and focus groups. The investigators will be looking for patients’ perspectives on ways that patients would prefer to receive education, care and support during treatment.

Leveraging that knowledge, the team will create educational tools, such as videos and other materials tailored to young patients from diverse backgrounds that detail what they can expect during treatment, as well as resources pages and referral lists based on individual needs, Dr. Stearns said. The investigators will also expand in-person learning opportunities for patients and family members.

Investigators will aggregate reported symptoms, needs such as preserving fertility and treatment side effects, such as sexual dysfunction and early menopause, to identify opportunities to improve patients’ physical and mental health. The data generated from the patient questionnaires can help investigators spot patterns that can inform policy recommendations. For example, integrative medicine techniques such as acupuncture have helped relieve some symptoms of breast cancer, but patients don’t always have access to these interventions.

“We know from smaller studies or individual reports that some integrative medicine activities can help patients feel better and get healthier, but not every insurance company covers those potential interventions,” said Dr. Stearns, who is also director of translational breast cancer research in the Weill Department of Medicine and associate director for clinical research at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, and an oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Data gathered by the project could demonstrate the benefit, providing evidence for policymakers and insurers.

Collaborations and social justice

Collaborations with non-profit organizations serving priority populations are essential to complement rather than duplicate efforts, the investigators said. They will mobilize community health workers and patient navigators who are optimally positioned to reach and share the materials with specific patient group. They will also collaborate with other academic institutions and the New York State Comprehensive Cancer Coalition.

Recognizing the unique and diverse needs of this population of young women with breast cancer, the team will also organize innovative medical symposia and cultural competency training for health care providers, said Dr. Stearns, who was awarded this grant twice before during her tenure at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Breast cancer, which is a life-changing diagnosis for anyone, has particular implications for young women,” added Dr. Cigler, who leads the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Program at the Breast Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. “This grant is an incredible opportunity to improve access and care coordination the growing population of young women with breast cancer in New York City.”