Rehabilitation After Breast Cancer

Individually Tailored Rehabilitation After Breast Cancer

The aim of the study is to evaluate whether a screening-based individually tailored nurse navigator intervention compared to standard care significantly reduce psychological and physical symptoms among women being treated for breast cancer who had moderate-to-severe distress (score ≥ 7 on the distress thermometer).

During a 2-year period, 758 patients newly diagnosed with breast cancer will be screened for inclusion at the Section of Breast Surgery at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. Of these 324 participants enter the randomized controlled trial (RCT) and are randomized in a computer-generated sequence of 1:1 to the intervention (nurse-navigation) or control group (standard care). A total of 432 participants will enter an observational questionnaire study. All participants are followed for 1,5 years.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Newly diagnosed with breast cancer (i.e. prior to surgery), scheduled for breast cancer surgery at Section of Breast Surgery at Rigshospitalet, 18 years or above, Danish citizen, read, understand and speak Danish, female gender,signed written informed consent. Those who experience high psychological distress (score ≥ 7 on the distress thermometer) will enter the RCT whereas those who experience low psychological distress (score < 7 on the distress thermometer) will be followed in an observational questionnaire study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• no severe cognitive problems or dementia, no severe psychiatric disease requiring treatment, e.g. schizophrenia, alcohol or narcotic dependence,