UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Methods: Data were collected from a nonrandom sample of women who were members of the Shades of Pink Breast Cancer Survivors' Choir during at a regularly scheduled choir rehearsal using the Powe Fatalism Inventory_Before Breast Cancer, the Powe Fatalism Inventory_After Breast Cancer, and a demographic questionnaire. Women were asked to recall their beliefs before their diagnosis and their current beliefs.

Results: Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, and repeated measures. The majority (N=30) were African American (97%), with college credits, and incomes greater than $30,000. The average length survivorship was 8 years. The women reported a significantly higher mean cancer fatalism score (5.83) when asked to recall their perceptions before their diagnosis compared to their current perceptions (3.36). Higher levels of education were associated with lower fatalism scores before diagnosis but not after. Older women had higher scores after diagnosis but not before. Findings perceptions of cancer fatalism may be influenced after a cancer diagnosis. Nontraditional support groups are excellent ways to inform women about breast cancer and demonstrate that cancer is not an automatic death sentence with early detection and effective treatment. Additional research is needed.