The majority of breast cancer survivors consider themselves stronger after having the disease, according to the results of a new survey commissioned by AstraZeneca. The majority of breast cancer survivors consider themselves stronger after having the disease, according to new survey results released this week. However, the data also suggest women's knowledge about actions they can take to lessen the likelihood of recurrence is surprisingly low.

The survey[1], which was commissioned by AstraZeneca and conducted by Harris Interactive, consisted of interviews with 543 women in the United States who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The vast majority (92 per cent) of these women reported a positive change in their lifestyles since being diagnosed with the disease and nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) said they are hopeful and optimistic about the future. Nearly nine in ten (87 per cent) said that having breast cancer made them a stronger person and about four in five (83 per cent) said they were better able to put their lives in perspective. Due to the significant focus on early detection and recent medical and scientific advances, women are surviving breast cancer, remaining disease-free and living longer and healthier lives.

The survey also showed that breast cancer survivors are more likely to identify a great deal with other women who have had the disease (66 per cent) than with people of the same ethnic/racial background (41 per cent) or religious beliefs (40 per cent). The survivorship community continues to flourish with more than 2.3 million breast cancer survivors in the US today, making this the largest group of cancer survivors.

Interestingly, the same survey results also suggest that there may be a 'disconnect' with information regarding the chances of breast cancer returning. While the majority (78 per cent) of women who have had breast cancer are concerned about recurrence, 30 per cent don't believe and 23 per cent aren't sure there is anything they can do to lessen the likelihood of a breast cancer recurrence and only about half (55 per cent) have spoken to their doctor about recurrence. The survey suggests that more action and education is needed about the many ways, such as healthier eating, reducing stress and taking hormonal therapy, women can help reduce the risk of recurrence.

"For most women, a diagnosis of breast cancer has a significant impact on their lifestyle and the way they monitor their health. We want to support all women who have had breast cancer in getting the best information available to help them remain disease-free for as long as possible," said Jean A. Sachs, MSS, MLSP, executive director of Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization based outside of Philadelphia. "We strongly encourage women who have had breast cancer and their loved ones to speak with their health care professionals to obtain the facts."

According to the survey, more breast cancer survivors (72 per cent) said they relied heavily on their doctors or health professionals in their path to recovery than said they relied on either friends (67 per cent) or spouse (52 per cent). The majority of respondents, 89 per cent, said that they are somewhat involved/not involved in a breast cancer survivor community, and thus might lack the support and access to timely information that they need.

The majority (87 per cent) of breast cancer survivors surveyed said having the disease made them a stronger person, and 63 per cent of all respondents are hopeful and optimistic about the future.

Survey methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of AstraZeneca between April 17 and 30, 2007 among 555 US women ages 18 and older who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. All figures presented here reflect the responses of women who are now free from breast cancer or currently have Stage 0 to IIIA breast cancer (excluding those with Stage IIIB and Stage IV breast cancer). Figures for age, race/ethnicity, education, region, and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

With a pure probability sample of 555, one could say with a ninety-five per cent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 6.5 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.


[1] Doubeni, C. A., Field, T. S., Ulcickas, Y. M., Rolnick, S. J., Quessenberry, C. P., Fouayzi, H., et al. (2006). Patterns and predictors of mammography utilization among breast cancer survivors. Cancer, 106(11), 2482-2488, (June 1). 2 American Cancer Society, 'Cancer Facts & Figures,' 2007


Source: AstraZeneca

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