[Coping with breast cancer: a case study on families of mastectomized women]

This study sought to analyze strategies for coping with the disease and the implications of breast cancer for the affected families. Semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted in households with 5 families of women diagnosed with breast cancer in various stages of development and care, which were treated in a hospital specialized in Oncology. 21 people had been interviewed: 5 patients and 16 familiar members. The categories investigated were: Search for information, direct action, inhibition of action, intrapsychic efforts, back up to the other. Findings show a disparity between strategies adopted by patients and family members. The process of coping with cancer emphasized the dialectical relationship between patients and relatives, the active and constant participation by members of the families of origin, relations and friends, the characteristics of the institution where women with breast cancer were treated and the implications of this type of cancer.