Little is known about the lived experience of adult survivors of childhood cancer (ASsCC). Survival for individuals diagnosed with cancer before the age of 18 is a relatively new phenomenon (Langeveld, Stam, Grootenhuis & Last, 2002). Fifty years ago a child diagnosed with cancer almost always carried a fatal prognosis. Today, as many as 78% of children diagnosed with and treated for cancer before age 20 survive five years, and as many as 70% of those survivors live to adulthood (American Cancer Society, 2000). The purpose of this study is to “give voice” to ASsCC so that others can better understand what is important from the perspective of this new population. The global research question for this atheoretical phenomenological descriptive study was: “What is the lived experience of the adult survivor of childhood cancer?” A review of the literature revealed a myriad of issues associated with survivorship of childhood cancer. Previous studies tended to focus on specific issues such as physical and psychosocial late effects secondary to having had cancer, current health status of survivors, and life style issues. However, no researcher has provided an in-depth study of what it means to have survived cancer diagnosed and treated during childhood, nor how those experiences impact lives as they are now being lived. Data for this study were collected via in-depth tape-recorded and transcribed interviews. Analysis involved immersion in the data, extracting significant statements, examining relationships among statements and verification of results by study participants (Streubert & Carpenter, 1999). Nurses interact with ASsCC while offering care in acute care and clinic settings, both during treatment for cancer and with many years of follow-up care. Findings from this study offer opportunities to pose new research questions that lead to the development and testing of interventions that promote optimal health for ASsCC.
Session #1223 - Graduate Student Poster Session
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)