Author Affiliations: Center for Crisis Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway (Dr Hauken); Research Support Unit, Zealand University Hospital and Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (Dr Hølge-Hazelton); HEMIL, University of Bergen, Norway (Dr Larsen).
Cancer Nurs. 2019 Jul/Aug;42(4):E1-E10. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000611.
Cancer in young adults is rare but young adult cancer patients (YACPs) are at an increased risk of severe physical and psychosocial impairments during cancer treatment and survivorship. However, little is known about the onset of this process.
The aim of this study was to explore how young cancer survivors experience the process of being diagnosed with cancer.
A qualitative method founded on a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach was used and included in-depth interviews with 20 young adult survivors (aged 24-35 years) with different cancer diagnoses, analyzed by Systematic Text Condensation.
The participants' experiences of the diagnosis process were elaborated according to 3 main themes: (1) "I felt something was wrong, but…," (2) "The traumatic uncertainty," and (3) "The day my world collapsed."
The findings indicate that the YACPs experienced a diagnosis of cancer as a highly traumatic and long-lasting process, characterized by lack of information and uncertainty. The findings indicate that healthcare professionals do not acknowledge the vulnerable phase of life and transitional challenges of YACPs.
The findings highlight the need to raise awareness of cancer in young adulthood in the public and in the primary healthcare system, to shorten the diagnosis process, and to clarify responsibility for age-related information and psychosocial follow-up during the diagnosis process. Further research is highly warranted.
青年癌症患者较为罕见，但在癌症治疗和生存期间，他们发生严重身体和心理社会功能损害的风险增加。然而，对于这一过程的起始，人们知之甚少。
本研究旨在探索年轻癌症幸存者经历癌症诊断过程的方式。
采用基于现象学-诠释学方法的定性方法，对 20 名年龄在 24-35 岁之间、患有不同癌症的年轻癌症幸存者进行了深入访谈，采用系统文本浓缩法进行分析。
根据 3 个主要主题阐述了参与者对诊断过程的体验：（1）“我感觉有些不对劲，但……”；（2）“创伤性的不确定性”；（3）“我的世界崩塌的那一天”。
研究结果表明，年轻癌症患者将癌症诊断视为一个高度创伤和持久的过程，其特点是缺乏信息和不确定性。研究结果表明，医疗保健专业人员没有认识到青年癌症患者的脆弱生命阶段和过渡性挑战。
研究结果强调需要提高公众和初级保健系统对青年期癌症的认识，缩短诊断过程，并明确在诊断过程中提供与年龄相关信息和进行心理社会随访的责任。非常需要进一步的研究。
