Download PDF
CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1809376
Original Article

Perspectives of Breast Cancer Survivors with Recurrence: A Qualitative Study from a Tertiary Cancer Center in Northern Kerala, India

Neethu Ambali Parambil 
1   Department of Preventive and Community Oncology, Malabar Cancer Center [Post Graduate Institute of Oncology Sciences and Research], Thalassery, Kerala, India
,
Srinivasan Kannan 
2   Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.
› Further Information
Also available at
  Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Introduction

Being diagnosed with breast cancer in itself is a trauma to a woman. Disease recurrence in a survivor is a separate entity with issues and challenges that differ from the initial diagnosis. Recurrence gives a message of incurability to the survivor.

Objective

There is a dearth of qualitative studies from Kerala about the experiences of breast cancer survivors with recurrence. This study was undertaken to have a better understanding of the perspectives of these women.

Materials and Methods

In-depth interviews were conducted among 10 survivors registered in the Hospital-Based Cancer Registry of 2016 in a Tertiary Cancer Center who had a recurrence in 2022, using an interview schedule. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis.

Results

The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research were used for the study reporting. The themes that emerged were: (1) diagnosis-related challenges, (2) work-related challenges, (3) financial challenges, and (4) treatment and cure-related perspectives.

Conclusion

Survivors with disease recurrence had an array of multifaceted experiences that must be addressed.

Keywords

breast neoplasm - cancer survivors - qualitative research - cancer registry - recurrence

Authors' Contributions

The manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, and the requirements for authorship have been met and are provided in contributor's form. Each author believes that the manuscript represents honest work. Study conceptualization and Methodology, Data analysis, Review and editing, and Final approval of manuscript have been done by S.K. Study conceptualization and methodology, Data collection, Manuscript writing, Review and Editing and Final approval of manuscript have been done by N.A.P.


Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in this study followed the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The approval for the study was obtained from the institution where the author undertook her PhD study, and from the institution where the study was conducted (1617/IRB-IEC/13/MCC/26–05–2021/2 and SCT/IEC/1711/AUGUST/2021).




Publication History

Article published online:
04 June 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Report of National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR-NCDIR), Bengaluru, India 2020. Accessed August 22,2024 at: https://www.ncdirindia.org/All_Reports/Report_2020/default.aspx
  • 2 Jayant K, Nene BM, Dinshaw KA, Badwe RA, Panse NS, Thorat RV. Cancer survival in Barshi, India, 1993-2000. IARC Sci Publ 2011; 162 (162) 101-106
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 3 Institute of Medicine, National Research Council. From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2006
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 4 Courtney D, Davey MG, Moloney BM. et al. Breast cancer recurrence: factors impacting occurrence and survival. Ir J Med Sci 2022; 191 (06) 2501-2510
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 5 Riggio AI, Varley KE, Welm AL. The lingering mysteries of metastatic recurrence in breast cancer. Br J Cancer 2021; 124 (01) 13-26
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 6 Cella DF, Mahon SM, Donovan MI. Cancer recurrence as a traumatic event. Behav Med 1990; 16 (01) 15-22
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 7 Denlinger CS, Sanft T, Baker KS. et al. Survivorship, Version 2.2017, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2017; 15 (09) 1140-1163
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 8 Bell K, Ristovski-Slijepcevic S. Cancer survivorship: why labels matter. J Clin Oncol 2013; 31 (04) 409-411
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 9 Warren M. Metastatic breast cancer recurrence: a literature review of themes and issues arising from diagnosis. Int J Palliat Nurs 2009; 15 (05) 222-225
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 10 Stewart RJ, Humphris GM, Donaldson J, Cruickshank S. Does cancer type influence the impact of recurrence? A review of the experience of patients with breast or prostate cancer recurrence. Front Psychol 2021; 12: 635660
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 11 Parambil NA, Kannan S. Breast cancer survivorship experiences. Soc Sci Protoc 2022; 5 (01) 1-10
    Search in Google Scholar
  • 12 Colorafi KJ, Evans B. Qualitative descriptive methods in health science research. HERD 2016; 9 (04) 16-25
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 13 Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol 2006; 3 (02) 77-101
    CrossrefSearch in Google Scholar
  • 14 Al-Azri M, Al-Baimani K, Al-Awaisi H. et al. Knowledge of symptoms, time to presentation and barriers to medical help-seeking among Omani women diagnosed with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2021; 11 (01) e043976
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 15 Baburajan C, Pushparani MS, Lawenya M, Lukose L, Johnson AR. Are rural women aware of breast cancer and do they practice breast self-examination? A cross-sectional study in a rural hospital in South India. Indian J Cancer 2022; 59 (03) 354-359
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 16 Kumar A, Bhagabaty SM, Tripathy JP, Selvaraj K, Purkayastha J, Singh R. Delays in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and the pathways of care: a mixed methods study from a tertiary cancer centre in North East India. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2019; 20 (12) 3711-3721
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 17 Al-Musa HM, Awadalla NJ, Mahfouz AA. Male partners' knowledge, attitudes, and perception of women's breast cancer in Abha, Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16 (17) 3089
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 18 Mehrotra R, Yadav K. Breast cancer in India: present scenario and the challenges ahead. World J Clin Oncol 2022; 13 (03) 209-218
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 19 Sheng JY, Santa-Maria CA, Mangini N. et al. Management of breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: a stage- and subtype-specific approach. JCO Oncol Pract 2020; 16 (10) 665-674
    CrossrefPubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 20 Wanat M, Boulton M, Watson E. Patients' experience with cancer recurrence: a meta-ethnography. Psychooncology 2016; 25 (03) 242-252
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 21 Zeighami Mohammadi S, Mohammad Khan S, Zohreh Vanaki K. Reconstruction of feminine identity: the strategies of women with breast cancer to cope with body image altered. Int J Womens Health 2018; 10: 689-697
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 22 Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi. State Health Agency Kerala. Accessed August 1, 2024 at: https://sha.kerala.gov.in/karunya-arogya-suraksha-padhathi/
  • 23 Fan L, Goss PE, Strasser-Weippl K. Current status and future projections of breast cancer in Asia. Breast Care (Basel) 2015; 10 (06) 372-378
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar
  • 24 Sarang B, Bhandarkar P, Parsekar SS. et al. Concerns and coping mechanisms of breast cancer survivor women from Asia: a scoping review. Support Care Cancer 2023; 31 (09) 528
    PubMedSearch in Google Scholar