UA Telephone Support Project to Help Women
With Breast Cancer and Their Partners

May 26, 2005
From: George Humphrey, (520) 626-7301                           

The Telephone Support Project: Helping the Woman and Her Partner With Breast Cancer is one of the first-ever studies to look at ways to help women and their partners during the difficult breast cancer experience.

Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer often wonder how to support themselves and their partners through this experience, study coordinators point out.

This study will help researchers at The University of Arizona College of Nursing evaluate the helpfulness of telephone-delivered counseling intervention, compared with a self-managed exercise program, and finally a “usual care” control group for symptom management and quality of life.

Study coordinators will call participants throughout their participation to discuss issues of concern.  The Telephone Support Project was created by nurses who listened to women and their partners about what could help them through this experience.

The program is managed and delivered by certified advanced practice nurses and consists of six individual 30-minute telephone sessions with the women and three sessions with the partners.  The exercise intervention consists of six, 10-minute phone calls to encourage adherence to a prescribed self-managed program; the “usual care” group will receive a resource list and six, 10-minute calls asking about well-being and answering any questions about resources.

Individuals may be eligible to participate in the study if they:

• Have been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer (stage I, II and III)

• Currently are receiving treatment for breast cancer or are within six months of treatment.

• Are more than 21 years of age, white or Hispanic

• Have a partner who would participate or are a partner of a woman with breast cancer.

The study is funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research

To speak to someone about this study or to enroll, please call Terry Badger, PhD, RN, professor, UA College of Nursing, (520) 626-6085, tbadger@nursing.arizona.edu or Donna McArthur, PhD, APRN, BC, program coordinator, Donnam@nursing.arizona.edu, (520) 626-4462 or 1-866-218-6641 (toll free).

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Susan Guthrie
Senior Public Affairs Coordinator
University of Arizona, College of Medicine
Phoenix Campus
4001 N. Third Street, Suite 401
Phoenix, Arizona  85012
602-631-6555 (office) 480-241-7738 (cell)
sguthrie@email.arizona.edu