Breast Cancer Internet Information and Support Study

Researchers at Yale School of Nursing and Yale Cancer Center have launched the Breast Cancer Internet Information and Support Study (BCIIS) aimed at helping women diagnosed with breast cancer sort through the millions of web pages containing breast cancer information on the Internet.

Women with breast cancer represent the largest group (22 percent) of the 9.6 million cancer survivors in the United States. It is estimated that there are over 2.4 million web pages of breast cancer information available online, but there are few sites that help women sort through the information overload they may be experiencing.

“The results of this study will allow us to develop an online nursing intervention that will feature information and support for women with breast cancer based on their needs and preferences, as opposed to the assumptions made by website creators,” said Sheryl LaCoursiere, principal investigator of the Center for Excellence in Chronic Illness Care at Yale School of Nursing.

The anonymous online study asks for breast cancer survivors to answer a series of questions to determine demographic, diagnosis, and treatment information, as well as questions about the survivor’s support system and emotional and spiritual needs during treatment. The study will compare women in Connecticut to those in the United States and internationally.

“As a breast cancer survivor of 15 years, I urge women who have been diagnosed to log on and complete our questionnaire. The information you share with us will be used to develop interventions that we will test to improve the quality of life of other women as they go through their cancer treatment and afterwards,” said Ruth McCorkle, program leader of Cancer Control and Prevention at Yale Cancer Center and the Florence S. Wald Professor of Nursing at Yale School of Nursing.

Breast cancer survivors or those with a current diagnosis are encouraged to visit the website at http://breastcancersurvey.med.yale.edu to share their experiences and help create online breast cancer support for patients who will need the information in the years to come.