Breast Cancer Survivors: A Literature Review

In conclusion, the perception of breast cancer survivorship and the lack of the universality associated with the language used to describe the survivor identity is a debated topic in the literature, since women perceive their breast cancer experience from diagnosis to follow-up differently. From the above literature, it appears that most of the studies related to adapting the survivor identity were conducted in the US; where the concept of survivorship was developed. Some women were recruited from cancer societies, where actively practicing being breast cancer survivors in public by engaging in support activities. Therefore, women were more likely to refer to themselves as survivors because they embrace the power of the term and its positive metaphorical meaning. Although different socio-demographical and treatment factors enhanced …show more content…
Some women felt guilty because they had to spend their savings on treatment and its expenses rather than meeting family needs (Banning, Hafeez et al., 2009a). While, other women reported that the fear of financial distress associated with potential job loss prevented them from attending for treatment (Ashing-Giwa, Padilla et al., 2008). To address these financial burdens, Pisu, Martin et al. (2014) asked 23 (14 African American and 9 white) breast cancer survivors ‘what could help women deal with the financial burden that cancer brings to them and their families?.’ The majority called for affordable medical insurance, information on treatment cost, and public agencies that help them in issues like transportation. Financial challenges are complex issues associated with a country’s economic status and its healthcare system and health insurance; but this was only reported for specific ethnic populations and cannot be generalised to all breast cancer