Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020.
World J Clin Oncol. Sep 24, 2020; 11(9): 705-722
Published online Sep 24, 2020. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v11.i9.705
Table 1 Randomized trials from the United States focusing on navigation interventions to improve outcomes in cancer care for historically marginalized populations
Ref.PopulationCancer typeNavigator typeTime pointOutcomeResult (intervention vs control)Location
ScreeningJandorf et al[91] (2005)aHispanic (82% of n = 78)CRCLay navigator vs usual care6 moScreening rateEndoscopy: 16% vs 5% (P = 0.019) | FOBT: 42% vs 25% (P = 0.086)New York, NY (urban)
Tu et al[92] (2006)aChinese Americans (n = 210)CRCEducation + FOBT card vs usual care6 moFOBT rate70% vs 28% (P < 0.05)Seattle, WA (urban)
Christie et al[93] (2008)aHispanic (71% of n = 25)CRCLay navigator vs usual care3 moColonoscopy rate54% vs 13% (P = 0.058)New York, NY (urban)
Percac-Lima et al[27] (2009)aLow income (n = 1223)CRCLay navigator vs usual care9 moScreening rate27% vs 12% (P < 0.001)Boston, MA (urban)
Ma et al[94] (2009)bKorean Americans (n = 167)CRCLay navigator vs usual care12 moScreening rate77% vs 11% (P < 0.001)NR
Phillips et al[95] (2011)bAfrican American (47% of n = 3895)BreastLay navigator vs usual care9 moMammography rate87% vs 76% (P < 0.001)Boston, MA (urban)
Lasser et al[96] (2011)aLow income (n = 465)CRCLay navigator vs usual care12 moScreening rate34% vs 20% (P < 0.001)Boston, MA (urban)
Myers et al[97] (2014)aAfrican American (n = 764)CRCMailed FOBT and reminder +/- lay navigation12 moScreening rate44% vs 32% (P = 0.001)Philadelphia, PA (urban)
Braschi et al[98] (2014)aHispanic (n = 392)CRCCulturally tailored lay navigation vs standard navigationNRColonoscopy rate82% vs 79% (P > 0.05)New York, NY (urban)
Enard et al[99] (2015)aHispanic (n = 303)CRCLay navigator vs mailed information16 mo (average, not pre-specified)Screening rate44% vs 32% (P = 0.04)Houston, TX (urban)
Braun et al[100] (2015)aHawaiian and Filipino (90% of n = 488)MultiplecLay navigator vs usual careNRScreening ratePap: 57% vs 36% (P = 0.001) | Mammogram: 62% vs 42% (P = 0.003) | Prostate: (54% vs 36% (P = 0.008) | CRC: 43% vs 27% (P < 0.001)Hawai‘i (rural and urban)
Marshall et al[28] (2016)aAfrican American (n = 1905)BreastLay navigator vs pamphlet18 mo (average, not pre-specified)Screening rate93% vs 88% (P < 0.001)Baltimore, MD (urban)
Percac-Lima et al[101] (2016)aNon-adherent patients (n = 1612)MultiplecLay navigator vs usual care8 moPercentage of patients up to date on all screens10% vs 7% (P < 0.001)Boston, MA (urban)
Degroff et al[102] (2017)aLow income (n = 843)CRCLay navigator vs usual care6 moScreening rate61% vs 53% (P = 0.021)Boston, MA (urban)
Thompson et al[103] (2017)aHispanic (n = 443)CervicalVideo + lay navigation vs usual care7 moScreening rate53% vs 34% (P < 0.001)Washington and Oregon (rural)
Ma et al[104] (2019)bKorean Americans (n = 925)CRCLay navigator + group teaching + FIT card vs usual care12 moScreening rate69% vs 16% (P < 0.001)NR
Diagnostic resolutionEll et al[105] (2007)aHispanic (n = 204)BreastSocial worker navigation vs usual care2 moCompletion of follow-up testing90% vs 66% (P < 0.001)Los Angeles, CA (urban)
Ferrante et al[106] (2008)aAfrican American and Hispanic (87% of n = 105)BreastLay navigator vs usual careN/AMean time to diagnosis (days)25 vs 43 (P = 0.001)Newark, NJ (urban)
Raich et al[107] (2012)a72% non-white (n = 993)MultipledLay navigator vs usual care12 moCompletion of follow-up testing88% vs 70% (P < 0.001)Denver, CA (urban)
Lee et al[108] (2013)bHispanic (60% of n = 1039)BreastLay navigator vs usual careN/ATime to diagnosis2.0 mo vs 1.7 mo (P > 0.05)Tampa, FL (urban)
TreatmentEll et al[40] (2009)aLow income (n = 487)Breast and GynecologicalLay navigator + social worker vs usual care12 moChemotherapy completed as scheduledBreast: 62% vs 75% (P = 0.47) | Gyn: 63% vs 46% (P = 0.13)Los Angeles, CA (urban)
PalliationFischer et al[49] (2018)aHispanic (n = 223)AllLay navigator doing at least 5 home visits + educational packet vs usual careEnrollment till end of lifeAdvance care planning, pain scores, hospice useDocumentation: 65% vs 36% (P < 0.001) | Pain reduction ND (P = 0.88) | Hospice use ND (P = 0.58)Colorado (urban and rural)
Patel et al[50] (2018)aRural veterans (n = 213)AllLay navigator discussing advanced care planning vs usual care6 moAdvanced care planning documentationDocumentation: 92% vs 18% (P < 0.001)Palo Alto, CA (urban and rural)
Table 2 Patient-facing studies from low- and middle-income countries involving either a navigation or technology-based component of the intervention
Ref.Study designCountryCancer typeIntervention typeTime pointOutcomeResult (intervention vs control)Location
ScreeningThomas et al[35] (2002)Cluster randomized trialChina (n = 266064)BreastClasses teaching self-breast exam with supervised exams every 6 mo vs none10 yrDeaths attributable to breast cancer0.1% vs 0.1% (P = 0.67)Factory workers in Shanghai (urban)
Mittra et al[34] (2010)Cluster randomized trialIndia (n = 151538)BreastLay health care workers doing clinical breast examination vs social worker delivered education3 rounds of screening at 2-yr intervalsDownstaging at diagnosis1st round: ND (P = 1.00) | 2nd round: ND (P = 0.47) | 3rd round lower stage at diagnosis (P = 0.004)Slums in Mumbai (urban)
Sankaranarayanan et al[32] (2011)Cluster randomized trialIndia (n = 115652)BreastLay worker clinical breast exam vs education only3 yrStage at diagnosisEarly-stage diagnosis: 44% vs 25% (P = 0.023) | Advanced-stage diagnoses: 45% vs 68 (P = 0.005)Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (suburban)
Ma et al[109] (2012)Cluster randomized trialChina (n = 453)BreastEducation + lay navigation vs printed materials6 moScreening rate73% vs 5% (P < 0.001)Employees in Nanjing (urban)
Shastri et al[110] (2014)Cluster Randomized TrialIndia (n = 151538)CervicalLay health care workers doing cervical examination vs social worker delivered education12 yrCervical cancer mortality (rate per 100000 person years of observation)11% vs 16% (P = 0.003)Slums in Mumbai (urban)
Abiodun et al[111] (2014)Cohort trial with control from neighboring area (quasi-experimental design)Nigeria (n = 700)CervicalPatient education by medical students vs none3.25 moCervical cancer screening rate8% vs 4% (P = 0.038)Ogun state (rural)
Rosser et al[112] (2015)Randomized controlled trialKenya (n = 251)CervicalLay health worker 30-minute educational talk vs none3 moScreening rate59% vs 61% (P = 0.60)Homa Bay County (rural)
Lima et al[113] (2017)Randomized cohort trialBrasil (n = 524)CervicalBehavioral telephone interview vs educational telephone callNRScreening rate67% vs 58% (NR)Women without up-to-date screens in Fortaleza (urban)
Diagnostic resolutionPisani et al[33] (2006)Single arm description of a cluster randomized trialPhilippines (n = 151168)BreastLay health worker clinical breast exam2 yrFollow-up for abnormal screening exam35% follow-up rateManila (urban)
Ginsburg et al[36] (2014)Cluster randomized trialBangladesh (n = 22337)BreastCHW with smartphone +/- additional CHW training to navigateNRFollow up care if abnormal CBE63% vs 43% (no navigation) (P < 0.0001)Khulna Division (rural)
Mishra et al[114] (2017)Retrospective descriptive studyIndia (n = 2610432)Head and NeckCHWs doing physical exams, counseling patients to stop smoking, and referring patients to an ENT practice if a positive exam3 yrReferral to tertiary care center2610432 screened | 10522 (1.1%) quit smoking | 3309 (0.13%) referred to tertiary care center of which 1890 (57%) were positive for cancer | 1712 (91%) diagnosed were able to start treatmentGujarat (rural)
Riogi et al[38] (2017)Cohort study with retrospective control groupKenya (n = 75)BreastCohort of patients cared for by nurses trained to navigate vs historic cohort1 moCompletion of follow-up testing58% vs 24% (P = 0.0026)Nairobi (urban)
Vasconcelos et al[39] (2017)Randomized cohort trialBrasil (n = 775)CervicalTying ribbon with appointment date on hand vs education session vs card reminder2 moReturn for pap test results66% vs 82% (education) vs 77% (control) (P < 0.05)Fortaleza (urban)
Chavarri-Guerra et al[115] (2019)Retrospective descriptive studyMexico (n = 70)AllLay navigator3 moObtain appointment at cancer center91% had appointment at 3-mo censorMexico City (urban)
Mireles-Aguilar et al[116] (2018)Retrospective descriptive studyMexico (n = 656)BreastMedia campaigns for navigation program followed by navigation by a nurse if alert activatedNRFollow-up for self-reported symptomatic breast lesions69% attendance to appointment | Median time from alert activation to treatment (n = 22): 33 daysNuevo Leon state (urban and rural)
TreatmentLi et al[117] (2016)Randomized controlled trialChina (n = 66)Bladder"Enhanced" nursing care including phone follow-ups vs usual nursing careNRFollow-up after tumor resection86% vs 63% (P = 0.032)Laiwu, Shandong province (NR)
Alvarez et al[45] (2017)Retrospective descriptive studyGuatemalan children (n = 1,789)AllMultifaceted intervention including transportation, food, shelter, and education/guidance on the importance of completing treatmentN/ATreatment abandonment (year 2001 vs 2008)27% vs 7% (NR)Guatemala City (urban and rural)
Yeoh et al[46] (2018)Cohort study with retrospective control groupMalaysia (n = 283)BreastNurses who received additional education in patient navigation vs retrospective cohortN/ATreatment abandonment4% vs 12% (P = 0.048)Klang (suburban)
PalliativeSajjad et al[118] (2016)Parallel cohort trailPakistan (n = 50)BreastNurse delivered education series + nurse delivered support during chemotherapy sessions + nurse phone follow-ups vs none1.5 moChange in global quality of life scoreImprovement for the intervention group (P = 0.020) | No change for historic cohort (P = 0.111)Karachi (urban)
Nejad et al[119] (2016)Parallel cohort trailIranian caregivers of cancer patients (n = 60)BreastNurse delivering 2 in-person education / training sessions + 4 telephone follow-up sessions vs noneNRChange in caregiver strain index scoresImproved scores for the intervention group (P = 0.001)Tabriz (urban)
Table 3 Randomized trails from the United States examining technology interventions to improve outcomes in cancer care for historically marginalized populations
Ref.PopulationCancer typeTechnologyTime pointOutcomeResult (intervention vs control)Location
ScreeningMiller et al[120] (2005)aAfrican American (70% of n = 194)CRCEducational multimedia computer program vs nurse instruction on using FOBT card1 moCompleted FOBT kit62% vs 63% (P = 0.89)Winston Salem, NC (urban)
Dignan et al[121] (2005)aNative American (n = 157)BreastLay navigator on phone vs lay navigator in person12 moScreening rate42% vs 45% (P = 0.83)Denver, CA (urban)
Champion et al[62] (2006)aAfrican Americans (n = 344)BreastInteractive educational computer program vs video vs pamphlet6 moMammography rate40% vs 25% (video) vs 32% (pamphlet) (P = 0.037)Indianapolis, IN (urban)
Russell et al[63] (2010)aAfrican American (n = 181)BreastInteractive educational computer program + monthly lay navigation vs pamphlet6 moMammography rate51% vs 18% (P < 0.001)Indianapolis, IN (urban)
Miller et al[122] (2011)aAfrican American (75% of n = 264)CRCWeb-based decision aid vs usual care6 moCompletion of CRC screening19% vs 14% (P = 0.25)Winston Salem, NC (urban)
Greiner et al[64] (2014)aLow income (n = 470)CRCComputer-delivered information on screening +/- implementation intentions theory-based behavior modification tool6.5 moCompletion of CRC screening54% vs 42%, (P < 0.01)Kansas City, KS (urban)
Fernandez et al[123] (2015)bHispanic (n = 665)CRCInteractive educational multimedia on a tablet vs video vs none6 moCompletion of CRC screening10% vs 14% (video) vs 11% (none) (P = 0.46)Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas (rural)
Valdez et al[124] (2019)aHispanic (n = 943)CervicalKiosk delivered education versus pamphlet6 moPap rate51% vs. 48% (P = 0.35)Los Angeles, San Jose, and Fresno, CA (urban)
TreatmentHelzlsouer et al[65] (2018)aAfrican American (n = 101)BreastWeb-based navigation program versus list of websites12 moAdjuvant treatment completion94% vs 86% (P = 0.24)Baltimore, MD (urban)
Percac-Lima et al[66] (2015)aLikely to no show (n = 4425)AllLay navigator vs usual care5 moNo show rate10% vs 18% (P < 0.001)Boston, MA (urban)
PalliationBakitas et al[77] (2009)aRural patients (n = 322)AllPsycho-educational classes followed by monthly tele-health check-ins with advanced nurse practitioner vs usual careDeath or study completion (5 yr)Quality of lifeIntervention > control for quality of life (P = 0.02) and mood scores (P = 0.03) | ND in symptom intensity (P = 0.24)Vermont (rural)
Kroenke et al [75] (2010)aLow income (n = 405)AllTelecare management with automated home-based symptom monitoring by interactive voice recording or internet vs usual care12 moImprovement in pain and depression scalesIntervention > control for pain and depression (P < 0.0001 for both)Indiana (rural and urban)
Yanez et al[76] (2015)aAfrican American (40% of n = 74)ProstateCognitive-behavioral stress management delivered via web/tablet vs generic health information via web/tablet6 moDepression scale changeND (P = 0.06)Chicago, IL (urban)
Anderson et al[125] (2015)aAfrican American and Hispanic (n = 60)BreastTwice weekly automated telephone calls with patient rating of pain. If pain was elevated, e-mail sent to clinician vs usual care2-2.5 moReduction in pain severity from baselineIntervention > control (P = 0.015)Houston, TX (urban)
Ramirez et al[78] (2020)aHispanic (n = 288)Breast, CRC, and ProstateIntensified telephone and internet-based patient navigation vs “standard” navigation15 moChange in health-related quality of life scoreIntervention > control (P < 0.05) for female CRC patients | Intervention = control (P > 0.05) for breast cancer, male CRC, and prostateChicago, IL and San Antonio, TX (urban)