Patients with cancer believed that chemotherapy had to 'hurt' or 'cause side effects' to be effective.

摘要

QUESTION What are cancer patients' perceptions of adjuvant chemotherapy? DESIGN Ethnography. SETTING Cancer treatment centre in western Canada. PATIENTS 30 patients with colon or rectal cancer who were regular, irregular, or 1-time participants in a support group. METHODS Field notes were recorded after participant observation at monthly support group meetings lasting 1.5 hours and events, including a full-day retreat and a colorectal cancer forum. The support group was open to patients, caregivers, supporters, and occasional observers. In-depth semistructured interviews were also conducted with 8 participants, with questions probing topics related to cancer diagnosis, treatments, and the support group. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim; both data sets were analysed for themes.