Ellie Fund services reduced high perceived stress by ~60-67% and improved quality of life in 6 domains among breast cancer patients (p<0.05).
Do non-medical support services reduce stress and improve quality of life in adult breast cancer patients?
Providing non-medical support services to breast cancer patients significantly reduces perceived stress and improves multiple domains of quality of life.
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Abstract Background Ellie Fund provides essential support services for breast cancer patients to ease the stresses of everyday life, allowing the focus to be on family, recovery, and healing.ÏIn 2019, Ellie Fund launched an Outcomes Measurement Program to empirically measure the impact of its non-medical services on patients’ physical, emotional, and financial health and show improved quality of life (QOL) during treatment.ÏThis research is an essential continuation of the study conducted in 2024 and presented at SABCS, incorporating a broader dataset and deeper analysis of demographics (e.g., race, income), and examining how these factors correlate with stress reduction after receiving Ellie Fund services.ÏLonger term, this research aims to link support services to improved breast cancer outcomes. Methods Each patient participant selected two services, such as grocery gift cards, delivered meals, transportation to medical appointments, childcare reimbursement, housekeeping and integrative therapies. Services were provided monthly for 3 months for non-metastatic patients (Stages 0-3) and 6 months for metastatic patients (Stage 4).ÏData were collected via voluntary surveys administered before and after service delivery, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) which includes 14 standard questions scored numerically. Twelve additional questions assessed QOL changes using a 4-point Likert scale.ÏThis analysis focused on surveys from patients who started services 2019-2025 and completed both surveys. The McNemar test was used to measure the association between pre- and post-service stress improvements (primary outcome) and evaluate disease type in relation to perceived stress (secondary outcome). A Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used to measure the association between stress and race, controlling for income (secondary outcome). Results A total of 1,047 patients enrolled in the program and completed at least one survey. As participation in survey items was not mandatory, sample sizes varied by question. Analyses were conducted only on cases with both pre- and post-survey responses. Primary outcomes highlighted the relationship between service use and patient-reported outcomes: ÏA statistically significant reduction in the proportion of participants reporting high perceived stress following receipt of Ellie Fund services (p 0.05). ÏStatistically significant decreases were seen in emotional, physical, financial, and daily life stress levels (p 0.05). ÏStatistically significant QOL improvements were reported in 6 key domains, namely (1) maintaining order in the home, (2) managing treatment side effects, (3) physical self-care, (4) food access, (5) focus on family, and (6) medication access. For secondary outcomes, among non-White patients, higher income is associated with 3.4x higher odds of stress reduction compared to lower income (statistically significant). For White patients, the association is weak (not statistically significant). Both patients with and without metastatic disease experienced significant improvements in their perceived stress pre- and post-services (p0.05). In the non-metastatic group, stress was reduced about 67%, slightly higher compared with the metastatic group (60%). Conclusion Ellie Fund’s services are associated with meaningful reductions in stress and improvements in various aspects of QOL among breast cancer patients, especially for higher-income non-White patients. Data suggest that below a certain income, more robust interventions may be needed. These findings underscore the value of supportive care to complement medical cancer treatment and also suggest a vital role for non-medical services in preventative breast care, and to shorten the time between diagnosis and initiating treatment. Further research is warranted to better understand the forces driving QOL improvements. Citation Format: D. Remen, International Health Strategies. Reducing Stress and Improving Quality of Life for Adult Breast Cancer Patients abstract. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-04-16.
Remen et al. (Tue,) reported a other. Ellie Fund services reduced high perceived stress by ~60-67% and improved quality of life in 6 domains among breast cancer patients (p<0.05).