Implementation of an interdisciplinary breast cancer survivorship clinic: Impact on distress and patient experience in the community setting.

Abstract

637 Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors experience persistent physical and emotional challenges after treatment, yet survivorship care delivery remains highly variable. We evaluated the impact of a novel interdisciplinary survivorship clinic (ISC) on patient-reported experience and distress in a community oncology setting. Methods: Patients with Stage 0–IV BC treated at a single institution between July 2025-May2026 were offered referral to the ISC. Participants attended a one-day, comprehensive clinic visit that included consultations with a survivorship physician, lymphedema therapist, oncology-certified registered dietitian, and exercise physiologist. Baseline distress was measured using the validated NCCN Distress Thermometer. Physical, emotional, social, and practical concerns listed in the NCCN Distress Thermometer were addressed during the visit. Patients were contacted 4–8 weeks after their visit to reassess concerns and overall experience. Results: Of 146 patients referred, 82 attended the ISC, and 49/82 completed follow-up. Median baseline distress among respondents was 3/10 (range 0–10), decreasing slightly to 2.5/10 (range 0–10) at follow-up. More than half of patients reported non-cancer related stressors as a major contributor to overall distress scores. Nearly all respondents (48/49; 98%) reported the ISC as beneficial and felt their concerns were fully addressed. All respondents reported implementing at least one lifestyle or behavioral change following participation. Conclusions: This novel, scalable survivorship care model was successfully implemented in a community practice and was associated with reduced cancer-related distress, improved patient experience, and meaningful behavioral change among BC survivors. These findings support broader adoption of interdisciplinary survivorship approaches (survivorship care models) to enhance quality of care.