Navigating Life After Breast Cancer: Exploring Participation, Disability, and Support

Although the experiences of many cancer survivors align with existing conceptualizations of disability, there is limited discussion of disability within cancer survivorship research. Additionally, oncology related disability is often framed in terms of individual impairment, effectively ignoring the ways that the environment - specifically systems and policy and the social environment - shape the participation in daily life for cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between disability and breast cancer survivorship for young women (under the age of 50) by examining their experiences navigating life after cancer treatment with a focus on the lasting effects of cancer on participation in daily life. This study utilized qualitative interviews and appreciative inquiry focus groups with 9 women with a history of breast cancer to better understand how their activity engagement and participation changed after their diagnosis, their perspectives on the relationship between disability and breast cancer survivorship, and their experiences of desired and received support throughout survivorship. Findings indicate complex interaction between the individual characteristics of breast cancer survivors and the environmental context. This interaction between the individual and their environment influences how these survivors reshaped their individual identity and participation in daily life following active treatment and informed participant recommendations for survivorship supports that acknowledge the unique needs of this population over time. This study supports the need for healthcare systems and society at large to recognize connections between cancer survivorship and disability to validate the lived experiences of breast cancer survivors and design survivorship supports that attend to disability rights relevant to survivors.