Abstract
To comprehensively analyze the perception of women with breast cancer on the experience of undergoing chemotherapy. This was a qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study, supported by the Merleau-Ponty philosophy. It was conducted in a chemotherapy outpatient clinic with 20 participants who completed a phenomenological interview. The phenomenological data analysis demonstrated that the perception of women about the experience of chemotherapy is about change, not only of the physical body, but of their identity, and that it considers existential aspects. Three categories emerged from the experience of alopecia, fatigue, and spirituality, respectively: the body itself, the current and habitual body, and transcendence. Bodily changes, and the existential implications perceived by the women in this study, analyzed from the Merleau-Ponty perspective, makes it possible to consider body concept, and provides support for humanized care based on singularity and the socio-cultural context.
Highlights
METHODBreast cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm among women, and is the leading cause of cancer death in the adult female population worldwide
Breast cancer treatment can include more than one therapeutic modality, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and molecular target therapy, whose adverse effects have led to questions about their gains
From the experience of alopecia emerged considerations about self-image and identity, that Merleau-Ponty understood as the body itself; from the experience of fatigue emerged considerations related to the functions and activities developed prior to chemotherapy, and the current possibilities were analyzed from the perspective of Merleau-Ponty of the current and habitual body; from the limitations experienced we identified experiences of personal ascesis, with the spirituality aiding in revealing transcendence
Summary
Breast cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm among women, and is the leading cause of cancer death in the adult female population worldwide. Breast cancer treatment can include more than one therapeutic modality, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and molecular target therapy, whose adverse effects have led to questions about their gains In this sense, studies on quality of life have become important in oncology, since the success of cancer treatment should focus on the qualitative aspect, the perspective of the patient and her tolerance to treatment[5,6]. According to the World Health Organization, quality of life is “the individual’s perception of her position in life, in the context of culture, value systems in which she lives, in relation to her goals, expectations, standards, and concerns”(8) Based on this definition, it was decided to use perception to approach the theme, based on the phenomenological methodology that consists in returning to the same things, that is, life experience, and to try to understand in what way things appear to the subject’s consciousness, to reach her essence. The theme of the study is a priority, encompassing oncology and women’s health care, and it is relevant to launch a comprehensive view in this context to support care that focuses on ethics, humanization, and integrality in a highly specialized care setting
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