"There won't' be anything else...it's over": perceptions of women referred to palliative care only

It is not well-known how women with advanced breast and gynecological cancers cope with the transition to palliative care (PC) only, but we anticipate that this is a challenging situation for them.

To investigate women's understanding on the reasons of anticancer treatment withdrawal, their ideas about PC, and also perceptions of the communication of bad news.

Twenty women were interviewed by a single researcher after being informed that their antineoplastic treatment would be discontinued and they would be exclusively monitored by PC staff. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed according to content analysis.

Three categories were identified in the participants' narratives: (1) an understanding of the meaning of PC; (2) a lack of understanding of the shift in treatment and follow-up; (3) differing perspectives about hope. The PC Unit was stigmatized as a place to die, resulting in a "place to die" subcategory. The narratives of the participants who previously had experienced PC converged on a subcategory that reveals better recognition of the importance of the PC Unit as "a place that enhances the quality of life".

The participants manifested little knowledge about PC and the forthcoming strategies for their clinical follow-up. In addition, the PC Unit was patently stigmatized as a place to die. Early referral to PC seems to be associated with a less painful therapeutic transition, based on more accurate knowledge of the importance of PC.