Conflicts women with breast cancer face with: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background and Aim: The prevalence of cancer in women under 50 years of age has been increased in recent years. Cancer treatment methods can lead to infertility in women with cancer. Fertility and childbearing, as the most important conflicts in the life of women with breast cancer, significantly affect their quality of life. Materials and Methods: This research is a qualitative study of content analysis type. Purposeful sampling and semi-structured individual interviews were performed for data collection. The participants were women with breast cancer referred to the Breast Disease Research Center of Shahid Motahari Clinic in Shiraz. The data were saturated after 15 interviews. To assess the validity and reliability, we used the four criteria provided by Lincoln and Guba. The conventional qualitative data analysis and MAXQDA10 software were used to analyze the qualitative data. Results: Explaining the conflicts which women with breast cancer are faced has led to the extraction of four main categories: (1) paradox of decision-making to childbearing, (2) fear, (3) sinister emotions, and (4) challenges. The results showed that the paradox of decision-making on childbearing is the most important challenge with which the patients with breast cancer are faced, causing a state of fear, anxiety, and the emergence of sinister emotions in them. Conclusion: It seems that paying more attention to preserving reproductive capacity before starting the treatment plays an important role in solving the biggest conflict in the life of breast cancer patients.

Information Needs of Breast Cancer Patients Attending Care at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital: A Descriptive Study

“…It is common for breast cancer patients to experience physical, social, sexual, and psychological (including anxiety and depression) problems. 6,7,8,7,45 Studies showed that having timely and appropriate information helps breast cancer patients to involve in an informed decision of their treatment process, learn about the disease, and control their life and coping mechanism. It also improves their quality of life and lowers their anxiety and depression.…”

“…36 Furthermore, previous researches revealed that the relation of breast cancer with body image is one of the reasons for patients to experience a worsening problem and to have a poor quality of life. 6,7 Because treatment of breast cancer is complex and prolonged, it needs active involvement of patients themselves. It is known that treatment for breast cancer is prolonged and complex, it needs the active involvement of the patients themselves.…”

“…In addition, women with breast cancer experience specific emotional problems such as issues of fertility and child bearing; changes in body image related to treatments like losing hair and removed breast. 6,7 This complex nature of the illness and its psychosocial impact along with the adverse effects of the treatment make them demand to develop a genuine relationship with health professionals and requires them to decide tough decision regarding their treatment, learn about their disease and coping mechanism. 8,9 Consequently, they will encounter information needs during their disease and its management trajectory.…”

Surgery decision conflict and its related factors among newly diagnosed early breast cancer patients in China: A cross‐sectional study

“…Nevertheless, the process of surgery decision-making for newly diagnosed BCa patients is not simple in clinical practice, and most patients have difficulty making decisions due to certain situations, leading to the occurrence of decision conflict (Ghaemi et al, 2019).…”

Implementation of an Oncofertility Program: Key Elements, Challenges, and Solutions of the Oncofertility Treadmill

“…In fact, a qualitative study in 2019 exploring the conflicts faced by breast cancer patients concluded that fears related to future child-bearing was the primary dilemma for patients considering different treatment methods and plans. 5 The goal of oncofertility, or fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment, is to address this dilemma.…”