Understanding black women’s experiences of hormone therapy

What’s the title of the study?

REFORM – Understanding Black women’s experiences with breast cancer and hormone therapy

What’s the study about?

This study is about understanding Black women’s experiences of hormone therapy after breast cancer. 

Hormone therapy is usually prescribed for 5 to 10 years and can help lower the chance of the cancer coming back. Some research suggests that how people take hormone therapy may vary between ethnic groups. 

The researchers are conducting interviews and surveys to hear about people’s experiences and thoughts on hormone therapy and breast cancer care. This will help them understand these differences and work towards reducing health inequalities in the future.

Who’s organising it?

Name of project lead: Nimmy Sidhu

Job title: PhD Student

Organisation: University College London

Email address: sop.REFORM@ucl.ac.uk

Who can take part?

You can take part if you:

• Are a Black woman
• Have been diagnosed with hormone receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer
• Have taken hormone therapy in the past 5 years, or have been offered it in the past year

Why do you want me to be involved?

Black women are historically under-represented and less heard in research, so the researchers are especially interested in hearing and amplifying your voice.

Your unique experiences can offer invaluable insights that help shape future efforts to improve care and support for Black women with breast cancer. This could contribute to reducing health inequalities.

At the end of the study, workshops will be held to discuss the anonymised findings with healthcare professionals, breast cancer charities, and patients.

What will you ask me to do?

There are two ways you can take part in this research:

• Interview – Speak one-to-one about your experience with breast cancer and hormone therapy. Interviews are up to 60 minutes long and you’ll receive a £20 voucher as a thank you.
• Survey – Complete an online questionnaire about your experiences with hormone therapy, breast care services, and charity support. It takes 15–20 minutes and includes entry into a prize draw to win 1 of 8 £50 vouchers.

You can choose to take part in either or both if you like.

How do I get involved?

If you’re interested in taking part and would like more information or have any questions, you can contact the researcher team at sop.REFORM@ucl.ac.uk.

If you’d like to sign up, please complete a short screening questionnaire. This will check that you’re eligible to take part.

If you’re not confident using technology, please email sop.REFORM@ucl.ac.uk and a team member will call you to help over the phone.

When’s the deadline?

This study is ongoing