Man’s experience facing illness due to cancer: implications for health care

Abstract

Objective: to understand how men experience the process of becoming ill with cancer, from diagnosis to treatment. Method: a descriptive, exploratory and qualitative study, conducted with ten men undergoing cancer treatment, in a municipality in the interior of Minas Gerais, between March and May 2017. Data were collected from recorded interviews, later transcribed in full and submitted to thematic analysis of the content. Results: two categories emerged: “The discovery of diagnosis, the treatment and the changes in daily life: coping and resignification’’ and; ‘‘The care offered by the health team’’. Conclusion: the experience of an oncological disease is permeated by denial, anger, anguish, sadness and fear. The man faces the possibility of death, threat to his future and has difficulty adapting to his new life. Family, friends and health professionals are important for the control and coping with the disease.

Keywords

• neoplasias
• saúde do homem
• enfermagem
• adaptação psicológica.