[An anthropological study of radiotherapy care experience]

An anthropological study has been carried out in order to evaluate the need expressed by patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment. The study was mostly qualitative and based on the radiotherapy experiences of 13 women with breast cancer and six men with head and neck cancer. A 24-year-old female anthropologist spent one year in the department of radiotherapy at the Bergonié Institute in Bordeaux. She collected data on patients' needs through the observation of their experience of treatment and personal interviews. These were put in context, analyzed both by qualitative and quantitative methods. The results point out the need for more information on the different steps of treatment and the patient's need 'for a smile' from the medical team; in other words, emphatic support.