Abstract:
Introduction Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients have several unmet needs. The needs and quality of life of MBC
women living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are understudied. Facilitating the interaction of various caregivers is benefcial
in addressing the needs. Internet-based resources play an important role in reaching out to these patients. We aimed to bring
the various stakeholders into a joint network force, create a web-based portal, understand the needs of MBC patients, and
assess the utilization of web-based resources for women from Kenya.
Methods A network of various stakeholders considered crucial in the care of Kenyan women with MBC was created. We
conducted educational camps and assessed their needs, quality of life (QoL), and knowledge. We assessed the impact of
utilizing web-based resources by MBC patients from here.
Results We formed a network involving partners and launched the frst dedicated website for MBC from Kenya. The website
has received 13,944 visits and 310,379 hits in 2 years. One hundred fourteen women living with MBC were interviewed, and
our fndings show that psychological needs (63%), physical support needs (60%), and health care system needs (55%) are
leading areas of needs that increase with rural residence (p=0.001), less education (p=0.003), and aggressive treatments
(p=0.008). Quality of life (QoL) confrmed better scores with urban residence (p=0.002), internet access (p=0.010), and
stable disease (p=0.042).
Conclusions Creating a network of caregivers provides opportunities for cohesive eforts in understanding the psychosocial
and medical needs of patients with MBC. Internet-based resources are an efective way of reaching out to them. Kenyan
patients show extremely good uptake of internet-based resources.