ASPIRE (Breast Pain Pathway Rapid Evaluation)
Information about the ABS ASPIRE (Breast Pain Pathway Rapid Evaluation) Project
Capacity pressure on breast unit diagnostic services is recognised and to address this several units have developed specific pathways for the management of patients with isolated breast pain or mastalgia with different pathways at various stages of development, implementation and evaluation.
Consistent with a commitment to “no innovation without evaluation” ABS, with iBRA NET, are running a multicentre platform study to evaluate these pathways and to deliver them as a collaboration between the iBRA-NET and the ABS Academic and Research Committee & Clinical Practice & Standards Committee.
The primary outcome will be pathway safety measured by the number of breast cancers diagnosed in the 12 months following assessment. Patient satisfaction and costs of different approaches will also be assessed.
ASPIRE ChamPionSE 2024
The ASPIRE Breast Pain Pathway National Service Evaluation is on target to reach its recruitment goal, with around 2,000 patients recruited so far. The ASPIRE ChamPionSE Programme recognises the Units, who have contributed the most to the study to date.
Congratulations to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust for being the first recipients of this award.
Submit a breast pain pathway for evaluation
The ABS is very conscious of the stress to capacity caused by large volumes of symptomatic breast referrals to breast units across the UK, and is looking to assess the strategies being used by units to address the significant proportion of these which are for patients with breast pain.
Members are encouraged to submit their breast pain pathways for assessment by the Clinical Practice & Standards Committee.
The study also needs breast units where patients with breast pain are going through a normal one-stop clinic to act as as a control group. If your unit is keen to be involved in this capacity please e-mail lucydavies@absgbi.org.uk
The large volumes of symptomatic breast referrals continues to stress capacity for many breast units in the UK and Ireland. A significant proportion of these referrals are for patients with breast pain and clinicians and managers have developed new and innovative ways to see, image and treat these patients. The ABS are aware of several well publicised breast pain initiatives but there are likely to be many more being used in practice. Some units have yet to decide on a strategy.
There are efforts to improve the evidence base for the management of breast pain (led by the research committee) but usable results are unlikely to surface soon. In the meantime, the ABS wants to promote safe and operationally sound breast pain pathways that members can choose to adopt in their own service.
If you and your colleagues have a breast pain pathway currently in use that works well for your service and patients, we would kindly ask that you submit it to the clinical practice and standards committee (CPSC) using the attached form. The CPSC will then assess the pathway to ensure it ticks all the boxes for governance and usability. If successful, the pathway would be endorsed by the ABS with a view to evaluation supported by the academic & research committee.
We hope to be able to provide a range of pathways that members can adopt for their own practice. The research committee's evaluation process aims to ensure that pathways are robustly assessed after implementation.
We thank you in advance for your assistance.
Kind regards
Karina Cox and Ramsey Cutress
Chairs of the Clinical Practice & Standards and Academic & Research Committees
ASPIRE Leads
The following Leads have been appointed for the ASPIRE project:
Supporting Documents
download_for_offline ASPIRE Protocol download_for_offline In-clinic data collection sheet download_for_offline Patient satisfaction questionnaire download_for_offline Patient information leaflet download_for_offline ChamPionSE checklistMessage from the ABS President
Leena Chagla, the ABS President, sent a message to ABS members in relation to the ASPIRE study in July 2023
Download MessageASPIRE ChamPionSE scheme
The ABS ASPIRE Pathway is looking for enthusiastic trainees (including physician associates, advanced nurse practitioners, surgeons) to become ChamPionSE in their local hospitals who have signed up to the ASPIRE project.
The ChamPionSE scheme has been tailored to the needs of trainees from all disciplines, to help run the project locally, but also to give you the skills in research and project management. There is a checklist of activities below (similar to the NIHR Associate PI scheme) that need to be completed, and a certificate of completion demonstrating leadership and management activity will be provided for your portfolio. In addition, the top 10 ChamPionSE recruiters will get a free registration for ABS Conference 2024!
Please get in touch via Alice Cui for more information, and to sign up please provide a brief (2 page) CV and 200 word statement on what you will gain from being a ChamPionSE.
ASPIRE Launch Webinar
The ASPIRE Launch Webinar was held on Wednesday 22nd March 2023.
ABS Breast Pain Position Statement
In February 2024 the ABS issued a updated position statement on breast pain.
ABS Breast Pain Position Statement
