NBCF Research Philosophy
NBCF’s mission is to provide help and inspire hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education, and support services. This focus on helping women now, in the moment they need it, distinguishes NBCF from other breast cancer charities. While NBCF fully supports investments in research for a cure and life-extending therapies, we primarily focus on helping the patient diagnosed today.
These individuals need life-saving interventions now, yet many of them face barriers to care, such as cost, fear, or misinformation, and simply need support and guidance. Since our founding in 1991, NBCF has invested millions of dollars into research to improve early detection, diagnostics, and improvements to current therapies, helping women in the moment they need it.
While the National Institutes of Health invests over $45 billion each year in medical research, and other major cancer nonprofits add hundreds of millions more, the financial burden of cancer care in the U.S., estimated at $209 billion annually, far outpaces that funding. While every cancer patient wants a cure, there is a bigger problem cancer patients face today – navigating the immediate cost of care and the complexities of the cancer care system.
History of NBCF Research Projects
NBCF was founded in 1991 with the mission of Helping Women Now. Since that time, NBCF has funded over $8 million in research projects. NBCF research initiatives have led to:
- The discovery of a homolog gene of HER2, which led to the development of Herceptin
- Being a founding member of Worldwide Innovative Network (WIN), created to accelerate the pace and reduce the cost of translating novel cancer treatments to the bedside by developing and applying, through worldwide clinical trials and research projects, the most promising advances in genomic-based cancer research
- The launch of WINTHER Trial, which aimed to expand precision oncology to patients with advanced solid tumors that progressed after treatment with standard therapies
- Participation in MD Anderson’s Breast Cancer Moon Shots Program, researching novel genetic markers to identify new plans of attack and improve triple-negative breast cancer patient outcomes
- Funding breakthroughs in breast cancer early detection and patient navigation programs at Cleveland Clinic, UC San Francisco, and C-Change
- The creation of the NBCF Hope Innovation Lab, which partners with healthcare facilities nationwide to fund projects that lead to innovations in breast cancer care
NBCF Research Now
NBCF supports research projects that help improve the quality of life for patients facing breast cancer right now. These quality-of-life improvements include projects that focus on increasing patients’ access to breast health education, financial and emotional support resources, and equal access to quality care for underserved populations.
To date, NBCF has funded research projects in the following areas of breast cancer patient care and support:
Metastatic Breast Cancer Retreat Research
NBCF metastatic breast cancer research focuses on establishing proven ways to improve the quality of life for Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer patients. Innovations in this type of research include the establishment and improvement of metastatic breast cancer retreats for patients and caregivers.
Patient Navigation Research
In collaboration with the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+), the focus of NBCF patient navigation research is to identify and create best practices in the field of patient navigation. The multisite study of patient navigation programs led to the creation and implementation of a centralized navigation metrics toolkit made available to patient navigation programs nationwide.
Hope Innovation Lab Research
The Hope Innovation Lab is an initiative of NBCF to financially support breast cancer research projects at medical and healthcare facilities across the country. The focus of these research projects is aimed at innovating and advancing the care and support of breast cancer patients across all stages and demographics.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Retreat Research
Study 1: Outcomes from a Metastatic Breast Cancer Retreat for Patients and Caregivers: Improvements in Gratitude and Personal Meaning
Larson, C., Harry, K. M., Geske, S. J., Metsker, J., Miller, M., Eyler, J., Adams, H., & Pluard, T. J. (2020, March). Outcomes from a Metastatic Breast Cancer Retreat for Patients and Caregivers: Improvements in Gratitude and Personal Meaning. Virtual poster presented at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.
Facility: Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute & Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer
Background/Purpose: Lillie Shockney’s A Journey of Courage and Hope three-day retreat protocol is designed to address the specific psychosocial needs of women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and their caregivers. Over the course of three days, patients and caregivers participated in guided activities that supported the medical, spiritual, psychological, and relational challenges of MBC. Thus, this study investigated how the three-day psychosocial retreat affected self-reported measures of gratitude, personal meaning, and emotional intimacy.
Study 2: Experiences of Metastatic Breast Cancer Retreat: A Qualitative Analysis Comparing Patients and Their Caregivers
Carly Larson, M.A.; Savannah Geske, Ph.D., Janie Metsker, RN BSN CN-BN; Monty Miller, LCSW; Jake Eyler, MDiv., BCC
Facility: Saint Luke’s Hospital Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer
Background/Purpose: Over the course of two years, Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute hosted three weekend-long therapeutic retreats for women with metastatic breast cancer and their significant others. The three-day long program was based on Lillie Shockney’s A Journey of Courage and Hope retreat protocol. At the end of each retreat, all participants completed open-ended survey questions about their experience. This quality improvement research project reviewed the responses in order to improve and enhance the retreat curriculum to best serve both patients and their caregivers.
Patient Navigation Research
National Evidence-Based Oncology Navigation Metrics: Multisite Exploratory Study to Demonstrate Value and Sustainability of Navigation Programs
Over 3 years, a dedicated task force comprised of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) leadership and members, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society and Chartis Oncology Solutions, was involved in the extensive exploratory multisite study to demonstrate the value and sustainability of navigation programs.
Background/Purpose: The purpose of the study was to (1) assess the reliability and validity of 10 key metrics selected from the list of 35 developed by AONN+, and (2) gain insight into the barriers and challenges navigation programs encounter during the implementation of navigation metrics. Harnessing the power of this information to create best practices will elevate navigation and garner industry support for advancing patient-centered care delivery.
Results: The result of those efforts is the Navigation Metrics Toolkit. This resource is an invaluable aid to navigators, oncology program administrators, healthcare executives, and other clinicians who are linked to navigation in creating transformative patient care and defining oncology navigation professional practice.
NBCF Hope Innovation Lab
The Hope Innovation Lab is an initiative funded by National Breast Cancer Foundation to financially support innovative projects that help fulfill our mission of Helping Women Now. We believe that advancement in breast cancer support isn’t limited to only clinical lab research, focusing instead on initiatives that help women currently experiencing breast cancer, in the moment they need it.
Through the Hope Innovation Lab, NBCF partners with healthcare facilities nationwide to fund projects that lead to innovations in breast cancer care. Such projects include expanding and improving patient navigation programs, medical research for under-utilized or under-explored cancer treatment options, and increasing financial support of programs that help reduce or eliminate social determinants of health in underserved communities, among many other projects that will make an immediate impact in the lives of women with breast cancer.
Hope Innovation Lab Impact
Since its inception in 2023, the NBCF Hope Innovation Lab has granted close to $1 million to healthcare facilities across the country. This funding has led to the study and understanding of patient needs and the development of programs to address those needs.
The overall intended impact of Hope Innovation Lab projects is to improve the quality of life and treatment outcomes for those facing breast cancer.
Hope Innovation Lab Projects
2024 Projects
Reimagining Breast Cancer for Vulnerable Populations in Dallas County – Parkland Hospital, Dallas, TX
The goal of this project is to understand individuals’ clinical needs, mental health, and non-medical drivers of health, behaviors, and risk factors in order to create targeted strategies to improve access to breast health services, advance equity, and improve outcomes for the most vulnerable women in Dallas County.
Breast Cancer Assessment Risk Evaluation Project – University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center, Miami, FL
The goal of this project is to explore the psychological impacts of breast cancer-related worry on Hispanic/Latina women. Knowing that women’s experiences with cancer impact how they make health-related decisions and that cultural differences affect how women respond to and take action on new information on their health, this project is conducting potentially life-saving research in partnership with a group of women that has largely been left out of the research on breast cancer-related worry.
The Adventist Health Early All Around Detection (AHEAD) Program Expansion Project – Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles, CA
The goal of this project is to increase access to genetic testing and decrease disparities in care for the underserved population across Los Angeles. Patients in the service area of Adventist Health White Memorial, which is a federally recognized Medically Underserved Area, may encounter barriers to treatment, such as workflow issues, patient education, confusion over guidelines, and healthcare coverage concerns. Onboarding a Genetics Counselor Assistant and providing access to genetic testing will help work towards recapturing eligible patients as well as providing educational resources and offering genetic assessment services to individuals who may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Year-Round Support and Community Program – Radiant Healing Together, Albuquerque, NM
This project seeks to provide the ongoing support and community that makes such a transformational difference at metastatic breast cancer retreats available to participants on an ongoing basis. The social support and quality of life benefits of a retreat continue on an ongoing basis through the events and resources available each day through the Radiant Healing Together support and community.
Navigating Hope and Healing for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients, Gloria’s Compass – Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, Pawtucket, RI
Due to the nature of their illness and ongoing treatments, metastatic breast cancer patients need a cohesive plan of supportive services and direction to assist them with the unknown. Working with Foundation staff, medical professionals within the oncology community, and a licensed social worker, this tiered project will allow them to build resources and tools to help them thrive through their metastatic cancer diagnosis.
2023 Projects
Drug Adherence and Decision-Making Research Study – Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
The goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of the use of OFS among young women with breast cancer and to investigate racial/ethnic differences in use. We propose to do this by examining a national database to describe OFS use in real-world data and interviewing a diverse sample of young breast cancer survivors and their oncologists to explore their thoughts about OFS. This project will lay the groundwork for future interventions to improve OFS use and potentially address any racial/ethnic differences in use.
Social Determinants of Health Patient Navigation Project — Parkland Hospital, Dallas, TX
The patient population served by Parkland Health is uninsured and has a multitude of social determinants of health factors that can be major barriers to care. With the increase in education and support to address needs identified by the social determinants of health, it is expected that patients will have improved adherence to their treatment plan as evidenced by reduced no-shows and improved patient experience. Patients will have an improved understanding of the importance of coming to all appointments and the risks of missing treatments.
Clinical Trial Navigator Project – UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Recognizing the importance of cultural humility and the unique cultural competencies required for effective navigation among various racial and ethnic populations, this study aims to adapt and replicate an existing, successful approach with Hispanics by recruiting and training a clinical trial navigator to educate, counsel, and engage our African American/Black patient population. In addition, we envision our clinical trial navigators to develop educational material – appropriate for literacy level and cultural background of our patients – and participate in outreach and engagement events to further raise awareness regarding clinical trials in our community. If effective, the patient navigator position will become a budgeted position through the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Retreat Video Library and CME Accreditation Project
Led by Lillie Shockney, a University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, this CME-accredited series is designed to provide a means of delivering patient-centered care and improve communication with patients facing advanced cancers. The training emphasizes delivering compassionate, effective conversations during difficult times, helping physicians better engage patients in decision-making and focus on preserving quality of life. Participants will earn CME credit while gaining valuable tools to enhance their professional and emotional interactions with patients.
A second collection of an additional 16 videos, also led by Lillie Shockney, is available to Stage 4 metastatic patients who may be unable or not well enough to attend an in-person retreat, to watch at their own self-guided pace.