OBJECTIVES:
* Determine the relationship between preferences and chemotherapy decisions in women age 65 and over with operable, newly diagnosed breast cancer.
* Determine how factors that could be targets for intervention affect the relationship between preferences and chemotherapy decisions in these patients.
* Determine the relationships between preference-based chemotherapy decisions, quality of life, and satisfaction with treatment decisions in these patients.
* Determine the disease-free survival and competing causes of mortality of these patients.
* Determine the types of physician providers who care for older breast cancer survivors after initial cancer treatment is completed and explore how women decide about which physicians to see.
* Measure quality indicators for the survivorship phase of care and evaluate if quality varies by type of physician provider model.
* Determine if long-term patient-reported satisfaction varies as a function of physician model for providing follow-up care post-treatment.
* Determine whether physician-patient communication and coordination of care after treatment ends mediate follow-up quality and outcomes post-treatment.
OUTLINE: This is a cohort study.
Patients participate in interviews over 30-45 minutes at baseline, at 6 months, and at 1 and 2 years.
Patients are followed annually for at least 5 years.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 1,296 patients will be accrued for this study within 18-24 months.
