Moving the Translational Needle in Breast Cancer Survivorship: Connecting Intervention Research to Clinical Practice

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and advances in its early detection and treatment have yielded large and growing numbers of long-term survivors. Since 1989, the death rate for breast cancer has been in decline, and the 5-year and 10-year survival rates for invasive breast cancer have now reached 90% and 84%, respectively. 2 Breast cancer has also been one of the most studied cancers with respect to both observational and intervention research, dating back to some of the earliest psychosocial research 50 years ago, first describing the impact of radical mastectomy. 3 As a result, there is a large body of published literature that focuses on interventions for the physical and psychosocial outcomes after a breast cancer diagnosis, including pain, fatigue, neuropathy, body image, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and others. The focus of intervention research has also evolved over time with broader trends in health care delivery, and contemporary topics, such as financial toxicity, have only recently emerged. Many of these studies have also contributed to our understanding of biologic and behavioral mechanisms underlying long-term and late effects in cancer survivors. Importantly, these research advancements are a testament to the accessibility and willingness of survivors of breast cancer to participate in research that might help them or others.