The purpose of this study is to understand how women and their families live with the daily confrontation of cancer after the end of the treatment. Symbolic Interactionism and Data Theory were used as a theoretical and methodological framework. Data were collected from March to November 2005, from twenty subjects, with ten women suffering from cancer and their relatives divided into three sample groups. To live with cancer triggers a variety of emotions, such as the fear that one day the disease will return. This makes laboratory tests after treatment considerably stressful. To live with cancer means worrying about the disease and seeking strategies to cope with it. The study allows us to understand this situation and rethink some of the caring strategies.
Neoplasms; Oncologic nursing; Women's health; Family health