Women's experience after cancer - a phenomenological approach

Abstract

With more treatment options for people with cancer long-term problems survivorship is increasing. Physical and psycho-social needs have been identified in cancer survivors. The women are the biggest group inside of the adult survivors of cancer. This must mainly to the fact of the cancer of the breast be the cancer most frequent cancer in the feminine sex and early diagnose accompanied with multiple developments in therapeutic interventions origins a growing success and a longer period of survival.
The conscience of the magnitude of this problem led us to develop this research, aiming to understand the implications of cancer in women’s daily life.
Our research study is about quality of life of 426 cancer survivor patients; from these 68,1% were cancer women survivors. During the interviews women expressed feelings, experiences and spoke about the multiple implications of cancer in their lives. We also prepare field notes that were submitted to a systematized reading, generating coded categories.
The work done with women’s’ speech, allowed us to identify as analysis units: incertitude / Damocles syndrome; positive aspects; sense of control; the cure price; familiar` implications, revolt; autoimage; listening necessities; religiosity / spirituality.
Conclusions: unit register analysis allowed us to conclude that cancer, even after clinical control, has implications in different women’s life dimensions. Health professionals and nurses in particular, should be able to understand and help these women to manage cancer impact on their lives, increasing a holistic quality of care, in order to fulfil the needs and life transitions elapsed from this threatening life event.