How does the meaning of cancer progress post-treatment? (v1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How does the meaning of cancer progress post-treatment? An exploration of survivors' metaphorical and embodied comprehension of their interrelated experiencing of Cancer, Clinicians and Self post bowel cancer.
IRAS ID
159615
Contact name
Kathleen Vandenberghe
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
101, National End of Life Care Intelligence Network - Person-centred coordinated care
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study will explore how adult survivors of bowel cancer who have no active disease and are between a few months and 15 years after finishing their treatment think about and give meaning to cancer and clinicians in relation to themselves.
Understanding in more detail the psychological journey of cancer survivorship will be beneficial to patients and health practitioners. It will be relevant to therapeutic work and the tailoring of services to survivors’ needs.
Up to 10 participants will be recruited via a survivor support group at Mid Cheshire Hospital Trust and the social media platform of St. Luke's (Cheshire) Hospice which is also funding this research.
What cancer means for participants will be explored during two sessions structured by the researcher's embodied perspective on thinking. This means that the exploration will start with how people feel inside about cancer. After expressing this with creative materials, participants will be invited to express further thoughts and feelings with the use of imagery and metaphors. Also the life experiences that underpin their current view on cancer will be explored.
The sessions will be audio-recorded and the non-verbal data will be photographed in an anonymous way. The data will be collected in 2015/2016 and disseminated in 2018. The interpretation of the data will give a rich description of survivors' experiences and thought processes and explore variations and patterns. In addition to rational methods of analysis an ‘embodied enquiry’ will add an emotional understanding. This approach contributes to developments in phenomenological, cognitive and educational research.REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1397
Date of REC Opinion
5 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion