Describing Self-Advocacy in Underrepresented Women With Advanced Cancer

Purpose: To describe the self-advocacy experiences of women from underrepresented groups who have advanced breast or gynecologic cancer.

Participants & Setting: To be eligible for the study, participants had to self-identify as vulnerable, which was defined as a member of a group considered at risk for poor cancer outcomes and underrepresented in clinical research.

Methodologic Approach: This descriptive, longitudinal, qualitative study consisted of one-on-one interviews of women within three months of an advanced breast or gynecologic cancer diagnosis.

Findings: 10 participants completed 25 interviews. The average age of participants was 60.2 years (range = 38–75 years). Three major themes emerged: (a) speaking up and speaking out, (b) interacting with the healthcare team, and (c) relying on support from others.

Implications for Nursing: Women with advanced cancer who are from underrepresented groups self-advocated in unique ways, learning over time the importance of how to communicate their needs and manage their healthcare team. Future research should incorporate these findings into tailored self-advocacy interventions.