Congress Abstracts 2006

248

THE EXPERIENCE OF A SAMPLE OF CANADIAN MEN WITH BREAST CANCER. Edith Pituskin, RN, MN(C), Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Canada; Kris Martin-McDonald, RN, PhD, and Beverly Williams, RN, PhD, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; and Heather-Jane Au, MD, PhD, Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Canada.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in Canadian women, accounting for about 30% of all new cancer cases each year. Male breast cancer is less common and accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancer cases. However, recent reports indicate male breast cancer rates are increasing in North America. Research suggests that men diagnosed with breast cancer experience serious psychologic issues including feeling less masculine by having a woman's disease, feeling isolated with a rare malignancy and feeling uncomfortable seeking or receiving support. There have been numerous large-scale studies examining women's' experiences with breast cancer. To date, there has been no North American study examining what a man experiences with a breast cancer diagnosis.

The objective of this qualitative study was to determine the experiences of a sample of Canadian men diagnosed with breast cancer.

As little is known about a man's experience with breast cancer, an exploratory qualitative approach was employed. Narrative methods were utilized to explore the meaning of the experience from the perspective of the respondent.

After ethics approval, an invitation letter and consent form were mailed to individuals listed with ‘breast cancer', ‘male', and ‘alive', in the Alberta Cancer Registry. 20 men responded indicating their interest. After written consent, audiotaped interviews were conducted.

Great variability was found among the participants with respect to with whom they disclosed their diagnosis, how they viewed their masculinity after a breast cancer diagnosis and their views on life after a cancer experience. All participants stated that there was a major lack of awareness about male breast cancer, both in the public and health professional domain. All participants identified a lack of written information specific to men with breast cancer. All participants denied interest in traditional ‘support' groups, but would have welcomed the opportunity to speak with a man who had gone through similar diagnosis and treatment.