The incidence of breast cancer in Brazil and all over the world has been rising and affected women at an earlier age. Treatment involves mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy whose side effects might compromise self-esteem, body image and feminine identity of the sick to various degrees. Moreover, in current society, cancer has acquired meanings associated with guilt, punishment, deterioration, pain and death, aggravating the patients’ psychological suffering. Therefore, current essay reflects on the cultural meanings of the disease and on the breast as an icon of feminine identity. The basic assumption is that knowledge on the aspects influencing the suffering of breast-cancer-sick women is a great help for health professionals, particularly those who care for mental health, to assist their patients in a more effective and comprehensive way.
Mammary neoplasia; gender identity; culture