Are you a cancer survivor? A review on cancer identity

Journal of Cancer Survivorship

Volumn 10, Issue 4, 2016, Pages 759-771

  Cheung, Sze Yan ^a   Delfabbro, Paul ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE   (Australia)

Author keywords

Cancer identity; Cancer survivor; Cancer survivorship; Quality of life

Indexed keywords

ADULT; FEMALE; HUMAN; MALE; NEOPLASMS; PSYCHOLOGY; QUALITY OF LIFE; SURVIVOR;

ADULT; FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; NEOPLASMS; QUALITY OF LIFE; SURVIVORS;

EID: 84957644603     PISSN: 19322259     EISSN: 19322267     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11764-016-0521-z     Document Type: Review

References (44)

1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. World cancer report 2014. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2014.
2. Saracci R, Wild CP. International Agency for Research on Cancer: The first 50 years, 1965–2015. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2015.
3. Rowland JH. What are cancer survivors telling us? Cancer J. 2008;14(6):361–8. doi:10.1097/Ppo.0b013e31818ec48e.
4. Bellizzi KM, Blank TO. Cancer-related identity and positive affect in survivors of prostate cancer. J Cancer Surviv: Res Pract. 2007;1(1):44–8. doi:10.1007/s11764-007-0005-2.
5. Feuerstein M. Defining cancer survivorship. J Cancer Surviv: Res Pract. 2007;1(1):5–7. doi:10.1007/s11764-006-0002-x.
6. Mullan F. Seasons of survival—reflections of a physician with cancer. N Engl J Med. 1985;313(4):270–3. doi:10.1056/Nejm198507253130421.
7. Twombly R. What’s in a name: who is a cancer survivor? J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004;96(19):1414–5. doi:10.1093/jnci/96.19.1414.
8. National Cancer Institute. Definitions. 2014. http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ocs/statistics/definitions.html. Accessed May 22 2015.
9. Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies. From cancer patient to cancer survivor: lost in transition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2005.
10. Surbone A, Annunziata MA, Santoro A, Tirelli U, Tralongo P. Cancer patients and survivors: changing words or changing culture? Ann Oncol: Off J Eur Soc Med Oncol / ESMO. 2013;24(10):2468–71. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdt229.
11. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Continuing survivorship education. n.d. http://www.petermac.org/education/survivorship-education/continuing-survivorship-education. Accessed May 22 2015.
12. Hebdon M, Foli K, McComb S. Survivor in the cancer context: a concept analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2015. doi:10.1111/jan.12646.
13. McGrath P, Holewa H. What does the term ‘survivor’ mean to individuals diagnosed with a haematological malignancy? Findings from Australia. Support Care Cancer: Off J Multinatl Assoc Support Care Cancer. 2012;20(12):3287–95. doi:10.1007/s00520-012-1453-4.
14. Kaiser K. The meaning of the survivor identity for women with breast cancer. Soc Sci Med (1982). 2008;67(1):79–87. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.036.
15. Jensen JD, Moriarty CM, Hurley RJ, Stryker JE. Making sense of cancer news coverage trends: a comparison of three comprehensive content analyses. J Health Commun. 2010;15(2):136–51. doi:10.1080/10810730903528025.
16. Larson S, Long M, Slater MD, Bettinghaus EP, Read A. A content analysis of cancer survivorship coverage in a representative sample of US news outlets. J Cancer Educ. 2009;24(4):291–6.
17. Hozman S. The other cancer story: is this a breast cancer competition? Am J Nurs. 2005;105(11):39.
18. Little M, Paul K, Jordens CF, Sayers EJ. Survivorship and discourses of identity. Psychooncology. 2002;11(2):170–8.
19. Deimling GT, Bowman KF, Wagner LJ. Cancer survivorship and identity among long-term survivors. Cancer Investig. 2007;25(8):758–65. doi:10.1080/07357900600896323.
20. Zebrack BJ. Cancer survivor identity and quality of life. Cancer Pract. 2000;8(5):238–42.
21. Pieters HC, Heilemann MV. “Once you’re 82 going on 83, surviving has a different meaning”: older breast cancer survivors reflect on cancer survivorship. Cancer Nurs. 2011;34(2):124–33. doi:10.1097/NCC.0b013e3181ef77b5.
22. Jagielski CH, Hawley ST, Corbin K, Weiss MC, Griggs JJ. A phoenix rising: who considers herself a “survivor” after a diagnosis of breast cancer? J Cancer Surviv Res Pract. 2012;6(4):451–7. doi:10.1007/s11764-012-0240-z.
23. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PG. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med. 2009;6(7), e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097.
24. Deber RB, Kraetschmer N, Urowitz S, Sharpe N. Patient, consumer, client, or customer: what do people want to be called? Health Expect: int J Pub Particip Health Care Health Policy. 2005;8(4):345–51. doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2005.00352.x.
25. Deimling GT, Kahana B, Schumacher J. Life threatening illness and identity: the transition from victim to survivor. J Aging Identity. 1997;2(3):165–86.
26. Beatty L, Oxlad M, Koczwara B, Wade TD. The psychosocial concerns and needs of women recently diagnosed with breast cancer: a qualitative study of patient, nurse and volunteer perspectives. Health Expect: Int J Publ Particip Health Care Health Policy. 2008;11(4):331–42. doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2008.00512.x.
27. Park CL, Zlateva I, Blank TO. Self-identity after cancer: “survivor”, “victim”, “patient”, and “person with cancer”. J Gen Intern Med. 2009;24 Suppl 2:S430–5. doi:10.1007/s11606-009-0993-x.
28. Kelly KM, Shah N, Shedlosky-Shoemaker R, Porter K, Agnese D. Living post treatment: definitions of those with history and no history of cancer. J Cancer surviv: Res Pract. 2011;5(2):158–66. doi:10.1007/s11764-010-0167-1.
29. Chambers SK, Baade P, Meng X, Youl P, Aitken J, Dunn J. Survivor identity after colorectal cancer: antecedents, prevalence and outcomes. Psychooncology. 2012;21(9):962–9. doi:10.1002/pon.1991.
30. Documet PI, Trauth JM, Key M, Flatt J, Jernigan J. Breast cancer survivors’ perception of survivorship. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2012;39(3):309–15. doi:10.1188/12.onf.309-315.
31. Granek L, Nathan PC, Rosenberg-Yunger ZR, D’Agostino N, Amin L, Barr RD, et al. Psychological factors impacting transition from paediatric to adult care by childhood cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv: Res Pract. 2012;6(3):260–9. doi:10.1007/s11764-012-0223-0.
32. Khan NF, Harrison S, Rose PW, Ward A, Evans J. Interpretation and acceptance of the term ‘cancer survivor’: a United Kingdom-based qualitative study. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2012;21(2):177–86. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2354.2011.01277.x.
33. Beehler GP, Rodrigues AE, Kay MA, Kiviniemi MT, Steinbrenner L. Lasting impact: understanding the psychosocial implications of cancer among military veterans. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2013;31(4):430–50. doi:10.1080/07347332.2013.798762.
34. Allen KR, Roberto KA. Older women in Appalachia: experiences with gynecological cancer. The Gerontologist. 2014;54(6):1024–34. doi:10.1093/geront/gnt095.
35. Cho D, Park CL. Cancer-related identities in people diagnosed during late adolescence and young adulthood. Br J Health Psychol. 2014. doi:10.1111/bjhp.12110.
36. Davis CM, Myers HF, Nyamathi AM, Lewis M, Brecht ML. The meaning of survivorship as defined by African American breast cancer survivors. J Transcult Nurs: Off J Transcult Nurs Soc / Transcult Nurs Soc. 2014. doi:10.1177/1043659614561678.
37. Morris BA, Lepore SJ, Wilson B, Lieberman MA, Dunn J, Chambers SK. Adopting a survivor identity after cancer in a peer support context. J Cancer Surviv. 2014;8(3):427–36. doi:10.1007/s11764-014-0355-5.
38. Dyer KE. “Surviving is not the same as living”: cancer and Sobrevivencia in Puerto Rico. Soc Sci Med. 2015;132:20–9.
39. Miller LE. “People don’t understand that it is not easy being a cancer survivor”: communicating and negotiating identity throughout cancer survivorship. South Commun J. 2015;80(1):1–19.
40. Smith KC, Klassen AC, Coa KI, Hannum SM. The salience of cancer and the “survivor” identity for people who have completed acute cancer treatment: a qualitative study. J Cancer Surviv: Res Pract. 2015. doi:10.1007/s11764-015-0489-0.
41. Bell K. The breast-cancer-ization of cancer survivorship: implications for experiences of the disease. Soc Sci Med. 2014;110:56–63. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.03.031.
42. McGrath P, Holewa H. What does the term ‘survivor’ mean to individuals diagnosed with a haematological malignancy? Findings from Australia. Support Care Cancer. 2012;20(12):3287–95. doi:10.1007/s00520-012-1453-4.
43. Bellizzi KM, Blank TO, Oakes CE. Social comparison processes in autobiographies of adult cancer survivors. J Health Psychol. 2006;11(5):777–86. doi:10.1177/1359105306066637.
44. Pertl MM, Quigley J, Hevey D. ‘I’m not complaining because I’m alive’: barriers to the emergence of a discourse of cancer-related fatigue. Psychol Health. 2014;29(2):141–61. doi:10.1080/08870446.2013.839792.