The Perceived Care Needs of Breast Cancer Patients in Korea

By analyzing the data of 459 patients who completed the Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS), the prevalence, medical and non-medical predictors of unmet needs were investigated. Breast cancer patients in Korea experienced high levels of unmet needs across the needs domains, particularly in the health system and information domain (56.9%). Various medical and non-medical variables were identified as significant predictors of unmet needs in each domain. By multivariate analyses, several predictors were identified across the domains including; less education (< or = 9 years) in the psychologic, chemotherapy, short post-surgical interval, and less education in the physical and daily living, younger age (< 50 years) in the sexuality, larger tumor size (> 2 cm) and younger age in the health system and information, and more education (> or = 13 years) in the care and support domain. The results of this study suggest medical professional should consider the complexity and dynamics of meeting patients' needs in providing supportive care services.