Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
BMC Cancer. 2020 Jun 22;20(1):577. doi: 10.1186/s12885-020-07076-w.
Qualitative research on cancer patients' survivor-identity and lived experiences in low- and middle-income countries is scarce. Our study aimed at exploring the concept and experience of survivorship for Mexicans living with breast, cervical, and prostate cancer.
We conducted a qualitative study in Mexico City, Morelos, Nuevo León, and Puebla. The participants were breast, cervical, and prostate cancer patients ≥18 years of age with completed primary cancer treatment. Data were collected via in-depth interviews and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach.
The study included 22 participants with a history of breast, 20 cervical, and 18 prostate cancer. Participants accepted the term "cancer survivor" as a literal interpretation of being alive, medical confirmation of treatment completion, or achievement of a clinical result possibly indicative of cure. The majority of respondents perceived that the future is out of their control and under God's will. They linked cure to divine intervention and did not demonstrate the sense of empowerment that is often associated with the survivorship term. The principal themes of their narratives encompass: 1) adverse physical and sexual experiences; 2) emotional problems; 3) cancer-related stigma; 4) challenges to obtaining health-related information; 5) financial hardship; and 6) experience of strengthening family ties in order to provide them with support. In addition, women with breast cancer reported distress caused by changes in body image and positive experience with support groups.
In Mexico, cancer patients report complex survivorship experiences that demand post-treatment follow-up and support. There is the need to implement comprehensive, culturally-relevant survivorship programs focused on emotional, informational, and in-kind support and empowerment of cancer patients.
在中低收入国家，针对癌症患者的生存者身份和生存体验的定性研究较为匮乏。本研究旨在探索墨西哥乳腺癌、宫颈癌和前列腺癌患者的生存概念和体验。
我们在墨西哥城、莫雷洛斯、新莱昂和普埃布拉进行了一项定性研究。参与者为年龄≥18 岁、已完成原发性癌症治疗的乳腺癌、宫颈癌和前列腺癌患者。通过深入访谈收集数据，并采用归纳主题方法进行分析。
研究纳入了 22 例乳腺癌、20 例宫颈癌和 18 例前列腺癌患者。参与者接受了“癌症幸存者”这一术语，将其作为活着的字面解释、治疗完成的医学确认或可能表明治愈的临床结果。大多数受访者认为未来无法掌控，一切都在上帝的旨意之中。他们将治愈与神圣干预联系起来，并没有表现出与生存者这一术语相关的赋权感。他们的叙述主要包括：1）身体和性方面的不良体验；2）情绪问题；3）癌症相关污名；4）获取健康相关信息的挑战；5）经济困难；6）体验加强家庭联系以获得支持。此外，乳腺癌女性报告了因身体形象改变而产生的困扰和对支持小组的积极体验。
在墨西哥，癌症患者报告了复杂的生存体验，这需要在治疗后进行随访和支持。有必要实施全面的、文化相关的生存计划，重点关注癌症患者的情感、信息和实物支持以及赋权。
