Pfizer
Inc., working collaboratively with the European School of Oncology
(ESO), within the scope of the Advanced Breast Cancer Third
International Consensus Conference (ABC3), released the Global Status of Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC): A 2005 – 2015 Decade Report, which revealed both areas of improvement and substantial gaps in care, access to resources and support, and treatment outcomes for women with MBC.
MBC is the most advanced stage of breast cancer for which there is no cure. Further,
public health experts estimate there will be a 43 percent increase in
breast cancer related deaths globally from 2015 to 2030, the majority of
which are a result of metastatic disease. Previous
research has shown that women with MBC have distinct needs that are not
often addressed and there are fewer patient and community resources
available for these women compared with those for women with early-stage
disease.
Over
the past decade - due to the collective efforts of the broader breast
cancer community - some progress has been made to address the unique
needs of women with MBC. However, there is still a great deal of improvement that needs to be made in this area. The findings from theGlobal Status of MBC: A Decade Report reinforce
the urgent need for change in MBC care, patient support, research and
the important role increased disease awareness can play.
Primary Survey Highlights
Three
new studies evaluating the current state of breast cancer from the
perspective of breast cancer care centers, patient support organizations
and the general population found:
- More than half of 582 surveyed oncologists and other healthcare practitioners in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Australia, report that they have not been trained on how to effectively deliver difficult information to their patients and have a desire for more training.
- The majority of the 50 interviewed patient support organizations in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, recognize women with MBC require more support than those with early-stage disease, but report a range of barriers that can impact efforts to meet patient needs, including limited resources, cultural views and logistics.
-
There is a global lack of familiarity with metastatic or advanced
breast cancer among the general public leading to widespread
misperceptions about the disease, according to a survey of more than
14,000 people in 14 countries throughout Europe, Latin America, the
Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific.
- The survey also found that among the general public, approximately 1 out of 5 people believe that those with metastatic breast cancer should keep their diagnosis a secret and not discuss their disease with anyone other than their physician, potentially contributing to the stigma that is associated with MBC and leading to feelings of isolation by the patient.
These
findings reinforce results from a 2014 survey conducted by Pfizer and
breast cancer leaders in the United States that found the majority of
Americans (60%) know little to nothing about MBC.
Secondary Analysis Highlights
An
analysis of more than 3,000 previously published articles and abstracts
identified key limitations to progress for women with MBC over the past
decade relating to patient care, the environmental landscape and
scientific research, including:
- Despite the benefits of supportive and palliative care to the quality of life for patients, implementation of supportive care has been variable across certain countries and significant gaps remain.
- Better psychological support for women with MBC is needed to ease the end-of-life care experience, particularly when it comes to anxieties about what they may experience.
- There has not been a significant improvement in the quality of life for women with MBC in more than a decade, and there has even been a slight decrease since 2004.
- The pace of innovation in MBC appears to have slowed in recent years with treatment advances, clinical research, publications and guideline development, particularly when compared with other tumor types, such as melanoma and lung cancer.
