When science prescribes a person, not a pill
By Paula Schneider, Honorary Vice Chair, Susan G. Komen
Looking back on my breast cancer treatment, I can’t tell you the names of half my doctors. After all, the average cancer patient works with an average of 15 different physicians and more than 90 additional health care employees. What I can tell you though is everything about Susan.
Susan walked in with a brunette bob haircut, a black blouse with red flowers on it — I can picture her like it was yesterday. And I’ll remember her forever because she is the one person who said to me, with full conviction: “I’m going to get you through this.”
Lucky for me, she did.
Not many people know what a patient navigator is. I didn’t know either until I had cancer. And Susan — well, I followed her around like a puppy. And I don’t follow anyone like a puppy. But at a time when I was the most physically powerless and overwhelmed with countless appointments and decisions, Susan was my guide to showing me where to go next, what doctors might be right for me and most of all, a path forward that glimmered with light from the end of the tunnel, which I never thought I’d see.
Patient navigation is one of the most overlooked aspects of cancer care. Its evidence-based model improves survival rates and quality of life — but not through medication; through personalized guidance, removing barriers and ensuring patients get the right care at the right time. Frankly, patient navigation puts the “person” in “personalized care.”
That’s just one example of how cancer research doesn’t always mean more drugs.
In fact, sometimes research means fewer drugs. For instance, the TAILORx and RxPONDER studies found that many women with early-stage, hormone receptor–positive breast cancer could safely skip chemotherapy without affecting their chances of survival. This life-altering research study now empowers patients and doctors with the hard evidence to avoid unnecessary treatments, as well as the side effects that so often hinder quality of life.
At the heart of this research is the desire to make the health care system better for patients by improving what we already have.
When it comes to treating breast cancer, timing is everything. Numerous studies have shown that navigated patients are more likely to receive timely treatment following a breast cancer diagnosis. Unsurprisingly, studies conducted by Komen’s Center for Applied Research, including Komen staff patient navigators, found that people living with metastatic breast cancer have unique navigation needs and have since built a tailored training course designed specifically to help navigators better serve these people.
FINDING HOPE, HIGHER SURVIVAL IN HARLEM
Patient navigation is a research-backed concept founded by Dr. Harold Freeman in 1990 after an American Cancer Society report found numerous non-medical barriers — like transportation, insurance and fear — contributed to cancer survival disparities. While working as a cancer surgeon at Harlem Hospital, Dr. Freeman saw many low-income African American women arriving with late-stage breast cancer. Listening to their stories, he learned navigating the health care system was often more painful than the disease itself.
He placed trained, compassionate navigators (local community members) into exam rooms to help patients understand diagnoses, address logistical hurdles and follow through with treatment.
The impact was undeniable: a 1995 review showed 5-year survival rates at Harlem Hospital rose from 39% to 70% after navigation began, and early-stage breast cancer diagnoses increased by at least 40%.
A GROWING MOVEMENT OF HUMAN-POWERED SCIENCE
Today, patient navigation helps connect the dots in a fragmented health care system. Whether helping sort out confusing medical bills, making health insurance easier to understand or guiding patients through their appointment schedule, patient navigators continually work to reduce barriers so that everyone has a greater quality of life and chance of survival.
EVERYONE NEEDS A SUSAN
Susan gave me a path forward when all I could see was the unknown. Her work, like all patient navigators, was rooted in research but delivered through human kindness.
In some ways, Susan has never left. She is who we strive to emulate through Susan G. Komen’s Patient Care Center as we offer patient navigation services and other resources to families needing an extra hand and a lot of heart.
What’s more, Komen’s Navigation Nation training program has trained nearly 2,000 patient navigators from more than 320 organizations across the country with best practices on how to break down barriers for breast cancer patients.
Cancer breakthroughs like patient navigation aren’t bottled at the pharmacy; they live at the intersection of science and humanity. But if we want more success stories like mine, we have to make sure more patients have a Susan of their own.
And while National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us, remember that showing up for someone isn’t just kind, it’s lifesaving. You don’t need a prescription pad to help make a difference.
Compassion in itself can change the course of someone’s cancer journey.
If you or a loved one could use the support of a patient navigator, please contact Komen’s Patient Care Center at 1-877 GO KOMEN or helpline@komen.org. If you’re interested in learning more about the power of patient navigation in all health care settings, sign up for Komen’s free virtual Navigation Nation Summit.
