Cheung Sze Yan, Delfabbro Paul
School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Level 4 Hughes Building, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
J Cancer Surviv. 2016 Aug;10(4):759-71. doi: 10.1007/s11764-016-0521-z. Epub 2016 Feb 11.
Individuals diagnosed with cancer have been shown to interpret the term "cancer survivor" differently and this may have implications for how they cope with their illness. This article reviews the empirical research conducted in the field and aims to formulate recommendations for future research.
A literature search was conducted on PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and CINAHL using search strategies customized for each database: standardized subject terms and a wide range of free-text terms for "cancer", "survivor", and "identity". Data from 23 eligible papers were extracted and summarized.
Analysis of the studies revealed that individuals diagnosed with cancer could be categorized into five groups based on their attitudes towards being a cancer survivor: embracing, constructive, ambiguous, resisting and non-salient. Identification as "cancer survivor" was found to be highly prevalent within the breast cancer community (77.9 %) and least among individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer (30.6 %). Self-identifying as a cancer survivor was related to better quality of life and mental wellbeing, with those having a childhood diagnosis more likely to transition successfully into adult care.
The findings show that, for a substantial group of individuals, "cancer survivor" is not a title earned upon receiving a cancer diagnosis or completion of treatment, but an identity that may be embraced in time after deliberation. Future studies should examine the endorsement rate in less common cancers and whether choice of cancer identity varies over time.
Researchers and healthcare professionals should use caution when using the term "cancer survivor" so as not to alienate anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer but does not identify with it.
已证实被诊断患有癌症的个体对“癌症幸存者”一词的理解各不相同，这可能会影响他们应对疾病的方式。本文回顾了该领域的实证研究，并旨在为未来研究提出建议。
在PubMed、PsycInfo、Embase和CINAHL上进行文献检索，使用针对每个数据库定制的检索策略：“癌症”“幸存者”和“身份”的标准化主题词以及广泛的自由文本词。提取并总结了23篇符合条件的论文的数据。
对研究的分析表明，根据被诊断患有癌症的个体对成为癌症幸存者的态度，可将其分为五组：接受型、建设性型、模糊型、抗拒型和不显著型。发现“癌症幸存者”身份在乳腺癌群体中非常普遍（77.9%），而在被诊断患有前列腺癌的个体中最少（30.6%）。自我认同为癌症幸存者与更好的生活质量和心理健康相关，童年时期被诊断出癌症的人更有可能成功过渡到成人护理阶段。
研究结果表明，对于相当一部分个体来说，“癌症幸存者”不是在接受癌症诊断或完成治疗后获得的头衔，而是经过深思熟虑后可能会逐渐接受的一种身份。未来的研究应考察在不太常见的癌症中的认同率，以及癌症身份的选择是否随时间而变化。
研究人员和医疗保健专业人员在使用“癌症幸存者”一词时应谨慎，以免疏远任何已被诊断患有癌症但不认同这一身份的人。
