OBJECTIVE: to understand the relationship between spirituality and cancer under cancer patients' perspective. METHOD: qualitative study, with the participating of fourteen cancer patients under chemotherapy treatment and analyzed according to inductive thematic content analysis. RESULTS: reports were organized into three categories: cancer diagnosis, faith for coping to the cancer, the search for cancer cure. It was understood that cancer patients search spirituality as a way to cope with the disease, aiming to minimize their suffering or obtaining a higher hope of cure with treatment. FINAL CONSIDERATION: the central theme "cancer frightens and spirituality renews" shows the importance of recognizing spirituality as a coping strategy in planning care to cancer patients
Spirituality; Culture; Neoplasms; Nursing care