The impact of patient–physician communication on symptom resolution was assessed among 921 low-income, minority women with breast cancer (BC) treatment-related symptoms. All women were residents of California, USA. Patients most often reported depression (66%), yet physicians were the least aware of it (26.3%), especially among less-acculturated Latinas (18.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (14%). Pain resolution was positively predicted by patients perceiving themselves to be able to communicate more effectively with physicians and when physicians were more aware of the symptom. Physician awareness was a significant determinant of depression resolution. Patient-perceived self-efficacy played a much more important role than physicians’ awareness in nausea resolution. Less-acculturated Latinas tended to achieve less symptom resolution than whites, but this negative impact disappeared or was moderated after targeting patient–physician communication.
