Posttreatment Concerns of Older Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

    Authors

    V. W. Loerzel;K. Aroian

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Cancer Nurs.

    Keywords

    Adverse effects; Aging; Breast cancer; Coping; QUALITY-OF-LIFE; PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT; PHYSIOLOGICAL-ASPECTS; DECISION-MAKING; SURVIVORS; IMPACT; AGE; DIAGNOSIS; SYMPTOMS; FATIGUE; Oncology; Nursing

    Abstract

    Background: The majority of older (aged > = 65 years) women diagnosed with breast cancer are in the early stage. However, little is known about older women's posttreatment concerns in the early stages of survivorship. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe posttreatment-related concerns of older, early-stage breast cancer survivors. Methods: Fifty older women who completed treatment for early-stage breast cancer participated. Participants were interviewed within the first year since diagnosis. Content analysis was used to analyze transcripts about concerns after treatment. Results: Older women experienced treatment-related adverse effects, but often discussed non-cancer-related concerns as being more pressing than concerns from breast cancer. Older women accepted treatment-related adverse effects as part of life and often attributed adverse effects to causes other than breast cancer. Older women also engaged in "compartmentalization," in which they separated past cancer experiences from everyday life. Conclusion: Non-cancer-related concerns often overshadowed concerns from having had breast cancer. Compartmentalization was used to cope with cancer as a past, not current event. Implications for Practice: New insights on how older women view their disease after treatment can guide nurses in educating older breast cancer survivors about treatment-related adverse effects.

    Journal Title

    Cancer Nursing

    Volume

    35

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2012

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    83

    Last Page

    88

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000300627100005

    ISSN

    0162-220X

    Share

    COinS