Survivorship in Young Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

Physicians in the US are starting to examine closely what life after cancer looks like for breast cancer survivors. Quality of life is something that is difficult to gage and improve, as it may be different for two women who have the same state of health and is entirely subjective. Young breast cancer survivors have been found to be affected by body image greater than their elderly counterparts, mainly due to the fact that the younger a woman is, the more aggressive treatment, leaving a devastating path of destruction on the woman’s physical and mental state. Studies published on quality of life have not been in agreement with each other thus far. Participants will be recruited from a local young breast cancer survivor support group. Participants for this mixed methods study will be breast cancer survivors between the ages of eighteen and fifty from eastern North Carolina. Participants will participate in a focus group regarding their experiences as breast cancer survivors and will also fill out a brief survey. In addition, some of these participants will also complete a Photovoice narrative. Photovoice was originally created for activist groups who were looking for a powerful way to get humanitarian issues on the public agenda. It gives the voice of the project to the people whose lives are affected by the issue. This technique was created to understand the lived experience of an issue such as illness that would not normally be understood. The purpose of this on-going study is to enable young breast cancer survivors to voice their story of survivorship without researcher bias. The questions being answered are: What does being a survivor look like to you? How has your life changed? What has been done to help this transition?