Experiences of Patients Living Through Cancer Recurrence

• Published in: Journal of Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing Vol. 33; p. 33_kawabata_20191204
• Main Author: Kawabata, Ai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing 04.12.2019
• Subjects: attitude to death; cancer; nursing; phenomenology; recurrence
• ISSN: 0914-6423; 2189-7565
• DOI: 10.18906/jjscn.33_kawabata_20191204

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of individuals with recurrent cancer.Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used a phenomenological approach. Unstructured interviews were conducted with three patients who had recurrent cancer and were receiving medical care in the department of surgery of a general hospital. Analysis of the interview data was based on Murakami’s method and informed by Heideggerian philosophy.Results: The participants in this study often spoke of death as an “if,” but they felt it was not merely hypothetical but a reality. They attempted to move time forward “little by little” to ensure they lived in a way that felt tangible. In addition, instead of viewing and generalizing themselves as patients with cancer, they switched to their own mode of living and were motivated by maintaining a close distance where they could help others with their “own hand.”Conclusion: While treating death as an “if” and approaching the future little by little, the patients with recurrent cancer in this study moved closer to others, had experiences where they could make themselves useful, and thereby began to weave their own stories.