Breast Cancer Diagnosis: How Nurses Can Ease the Emotional Shock

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Cancer Society estimates that about 321,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the US in 2026.¹ For many patients, that diagnosis arrives with fear, uncertainty, and a flood of questions, and oncology nurses are among the first clinicians positioned to help.

In part 1 of this 2-part interview, Oncology Nursing News spoke with Nicole Doell, MSN, RN, executive director of nursing for ambulatory clinics at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, about supporting patients emotionally from diagnosis through survivorship.

How can oncology nurses ease the initial shock of a breast cancer diagnosis?

[Nurses help patients] navigate uncertainty of their diagnosis by actively listening, validating their concerns, explaining what to expect, also connecting them with appropriate supportive care resources that we have here at the center. So the goal is always to ensure our patients are feeling supported, they know what resources they have and that they can tap into within our center.

How can nurses address the psychosocial needs of diverse patient populations?

We have distinct primary care nursing. We also do it based on site disease groups. So those nurses become very much part of the care team with the physician, the nurse practitioners, and supportive care. So through understanding the disease process and speaking to it, they can, again, actively listen, really understand where the concerns lie. They can address those. They can give proper resources. And then we also have our supportive care groups that we can tap into, also with social work, just to see what other resources are available, and also spend that time talking to the patients. Sometimes we have mentorship, too, so patient work groups or talk groups that they can also join.

How can nurses help patients manage fear of recurrence into survivorship?

The great part of the nursing care model that we have within our oncology clinic is that we have the same providers, so they get to really be with these patients from [the] beginning of their care. So throughout that time, the patients also go through different needs, different questions throughout the continuum. And we always encourage our nursing teams to work closely with our education department. We have support services, like I was saying before. [There are] extensive areas that we can tap into, especially being [an] NCI-designated cancer center. So our teams really pride themselves on that expertise, on that evidence-based practice, and then ultimately that compassionate, patient-centered oncology care, which is individualized for patients.

How can nurses support communication during emotionally taxing care decisions?

I think that's a really important one, to have the patients have a voice. What may be concerning or a priority to one patient may be different for another. So always having the patients really talk through what they feel their needs are at the moment, whatever questions they have. And also making sure that they get the proper information, right? So when they leave the center, also, we want to make sure that what they are tapping into outside within the community are valid resources, just to make sure that there's no added stress.

What are the key takeaways for oncology nurses?

Identifying distress and connecting patients to support has been a recurring focus of Oncology Nursing News coverage, including practical guidance on connecting patients with oncology social work² and a recent Delphi study on which fear of recurrence care elements clinicians consider feasible, in which participants viewed nurses as well placed for triage conversations where psycho-oncology staffing is limited.³ Points from Doell's interview for nurses to consider:

• Listen and validate first. Active listening, validating concerns, and explaining what to expect can help patients work through the uncertainty of a new diagnosis.
• Connect patients to support early. Supportive care services, social work, and peer mentorship or talk groups can extend what the clinic team provides.
• Use continuity of care. Nursing teams organized by disease site can follow patients' changing needs and questions across the treatment continuum.
• Give patients a voice in decisions. Priorities differ from one patient to the next, so encourage each patient to talk through current needs and questions.
• Check outside resources. Confirm that the resources patients use in the community are valid, to avoid adding stress during an already difficult time.

References

1. How common is breast cancer? American Cancer Society. Updated June 24, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html
2. ONN Staff. Bridging the distress gap: connecting oncology patients to social work. Oncology Nursing News. August 14, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://www.oncnursingnews.com/view/bridging-the-distress-gap-connecting-oncology-patients-to-social-work
3. ONN Staff. Fear of cancer recurrence care: what clinicians say is feasible. Oncology Nursing News. October 25, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://oncnursingnews.com/view/fear-of-cancer-recurrence-care-what-clinicians-say-is-feasible