# Patient Navigator Education and Training Strategies to Support Cancer Survivors in Tanzania

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2022 · $177,610

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This application is submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as “NOT-CA-21-
058.” Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in sub-Saharan Africa. As in
many low-resource countries, cervical cancer patients in Tanzania face many barriers in receiving cancer
care such as lack of access to screening programs, diagnostic delays, high cost of travel to the cancer
centers, and stigma and myths associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment. C
ervical cancer is,
however, highly curable with early diagnosis and treatment adherence.
As a result of recent capacity-
building for both screening and treatment of cervical cancer, Tanzania is poised to see an increase in the
number of cervical cancer patients who will be eligible to undergo definitive therapy. This growing
population of potential long-term survivors presents a critical opportunity to dispel myths around cancer
which still prevail and to leverage survivors for development of innovative health promotion interventions.
Preliminary data from within East Africa suggests that advocacy and education through cancer survivors
and their caregivers can play a critical role in improving cancer outcomes by dispelling cancer
misconceptions and promoting health-seeking behaviors. We hypothesize that by empowering,
imparting knowledge, and training cervical cancer survivors as agents of change, we will improve
treatment adherence and treatment completion rates for cervical cancer patients in Tanzania. Our
immediate aims for the funding period are two-fold. First, we will evaluate the needs and behaviors of
cervical cancer patients in Tanzania along the cancer control continuum.We will conduct focus groups with
survivors, caregivers, and healthcare providers to perform an assessment of physical, mental, emotional,
social, and financial effects of a cervical cancer diagnosis, beginning at diagnosis and continuing through
and beyond treatment. In addition, our assessment of the survivorship experience will also focus on issues
related to follow-up care, late effects of treatment, and quality of life.Following the formative evaluation, we
will develop and pilot a curriculum to train cervical cancer survivors to become patient navigators. This
proposal aims to empower and train cervical cancer survivors to become patient navigators and agents of
change. Our long-term goal is to improve treatment adherence and treatment completion rates for cervical
cancer patients in Tanzania through implementation of patient navigation services.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10428290
- **Project number:** 3P30CA082103-22S5
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Alan Ashworth
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $177,610
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10428290

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10428290, Patient Navigator Education and Training Strategies to Support Cancer Survivors in Tanzania (3P30CA082103-22S5). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10428290. Licensed CC0.

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