Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33462702›Full record

ArticleWorld journal of surgery2021

The Value of Navigators in Breast Cancer Management in a South African Hospital.

S R Čačala, H Farrow, S Makhanya, D G Couch, M Joffe, L Stopforth

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in World journal of surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06257888 (The Journey of Women With Breast Cancer in Mozambique), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06257888 completednot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

The Journey of Women With Breast Cancer in Mozambique: What is the Best Path? A Prospective Cohort With Patient Navigation as an Intervention to Reduce Treatment Disparities

TypeobservationalSponsorRenato Cagnacci NetoRan2024 to 2025Enrolled90ConditionsBreast Neoplasm Malignant PrimaryArmspatient navigation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Cancer navigation in Africa: challenges, impacts, and future directions.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Coordination Models for Cancer Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

S R ČačalaDepartment of Surgery, Ngwelezana Hospital, Empangeni, KZN, South Africa. shas.cacala@gmail.com.
H FarrowDepartment of Oncology, Grey's Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa.
S MakhanyaDepartment of Oncology, Grey's Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa.
D G CouchDepartment of Surgery, Ngwelezana Hospital, Empangeni, KZN, South Africa.
M JoffeNon Communicable Diseases Research Division, Wits Health Consortium (PTY) Ltd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
L StopforthDepartment of Oncology, Grey's Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa.
Grey's Hospital · ZAUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal · ZAQueen Nandi Regional Hospital · ZASouth African Medical Research Council · ZA

Funding

Novel predictors of survival among breast cancer patients with/without HIV in South AfricaR01CA250012 · NCI · WITS HEALTH CONSORTIUM (PTY), LTD · PI CUBASCH, HERBERT, EL-SADR, WAFAA M. · 2020 to 2024
$2.0M
HIV's Effects on Breast Cancer Treatment and Outcomes in South AfricaR01CA192627 · NCI · WITS HEALTH CONSORTIUM (PTY), LTD · PI JACOBSON, JUDITH S, JOFFE, MAUREEN · 2015 to 2019
$1.7M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA192627NCI NIH HHS R01 CA250012
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpecialist breast cancer nurses (BCNs) have improved the psychological care and follow-up rates of breast cancer (BC) patients. This study sought to determine if breast cancer research workers (BCRWs) as de facto BCNs impacted patients' adherence to treatment by comparing groups with and without these patient navigators; hence assessing our need for BCNs.

methodsTwo groups BC patients booked for primary chemotherapy compared. Study group 1 (SG1): no BCRWs/BCNs. Study group 2 (SG2): BCRWs involvement. Assessment of numbers completing primary chemotherapy, undergoing surgery post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy and BCRWs interventions.

resultsSG1: n = 281, 25-89y, mean 52.7y, Stage 4: 35.6%, Stage 3: 64.4%. SG2: n = 154, 21-85y, mean 52.6y, Stage 4: 47.4%, Stage 3: 43.3%, Stage 2: 9%. Primary chemotherapy not completed SG1: 40.2% (113) versus SG2: 13.5% (21); p < 0.00001. SG1: 88% not completing were lost to follow-up. Excluding peri-chemotherapy deaths and discontinuation: SG1: 37.1% did not complete chemotherapy versus SG2: 2.6%, p < 0.00001. SG2: BCRWs: 107 interventions for 58 (37.7%) patients. Therapeutic breast surgery SG1: 103/181 (56.9%) versus SG2: 66/81 (81.5%); p < 0.0001. SG1: main reasons for not having surgery: lost to follow-up during (n = 58) or after (n = 9) chemotherapy. Follow-up SG2: 12-43 months, mortality: 52% (80/154), no lost to follow-ups. SG1: No mortality data.

conclusionsIn our setting, BC patients often do not attend or complete treatments. In this study, BCRWs as de-facto BCNs were beneficial for BC patient care, improving chemotherapy compliance and therapeutic surgical interventions. This highlights the need for BCNs for the management of BC patients in South Africa.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHospitalsHumansNeoadjuvant TherapySouth Africa

Identifiers

PMID33462702
PMCPMC8075163
OpenAlexW3124552637

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.