RATIONALE: Increasing knowledge about the complementary or alternative medicine practices used by women who are at increased risk for breast cancer may provide useful information for planning breast-cancer-prevention strategies. PURPOSE: Clinical trial to determine how many women who are at increased risk for breast cancer use complementary or alternative medicine.

Condition
prevention of breast cancer

Further Study Details: 

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the prevalence of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) practices among adult women enrolled in the Risk Assessment Clinic at the National Naval Medical Center Breast Care Center and found to be at increased risk for developing breast cancer. II. Correlate the use of CAM with individual risk for breast cancer. III. Define the types of CAM practices used by this study population. IV. Identify reasons why this study population is using CAM.

PROTOCOL OUTLINE: Patients are stratified according to prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine practices (enteral/parenteral vs psycho/neurologic). Patients complete a Personal Risk Assessment form, pre-test/post-test knowledge questionnaires, and a survey questionnaire.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 100 patients will be accrued for this study within 2 years.

Ages Eligible for Study:  18 Years and above

Criteria

PROTOCOL ENTRY CRITERIA:

--Disease Characteristics--

• Enrolled in the Risk Assessment Clinic (RAC) of the National Naval Medical Center and found to be at increased risk for breast cancer based on at least one of the following: Estimated risk of at least 1.7% for developing breast cancer over the next 5 years, as determined by the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT); Prior history of lobular carcinoma in situ or ductal carcinoma in situ; Family history of breast or ovarian cancer consistent with autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance or empirically elevated risk of breast cancer based on a single first or second degree relative with breast or ovarian cancer
• Must have attended the RAC education session within past 3-6 months
• Hormone receptor status: Not specified

--Prior/Concurrent Therapy--

• Not specified

--Patient Characteristics--

• Age: 18 and over
• Sex: Female
• Menopausal status: Not specified
• Performance status: Not specified
• Life expectancy: Not specified
• Hematopoietic: Not specified
• Hepatic: Not specified
• Renal: Not specified
• Other: No other prior cancer, except ductal carcinoma in situ or basal cell carcinoma; Able to read and understand English

Maryland
      Medicine Branch, Bethesda,  Maryland,  20892,  United States
      National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda,  Maryland,  20889-5000,  United States

Study chairs or principal investigators

Paula Glauber,  Study Chair,  National Cancer Institute (NCI)   

Study ID Numbers:  CDR0000067716; NCI-00-C-0039; MB-NAVY-B99-088
Record last reviewed:  February 2004
Last Updated:  October 13, 2004
Record first received:  July 11, 2001
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00020098
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-04-08