Exploring the psychosocial meaning of recurrent cancer: a descriptive study

Many persons diagnosed with malignancy will experience one or more recurrences of malignancy. Little is known about the psychosocial meaning of recurrent cancer. Using Lazarus and Folkman's model of stress, appraisal and coping, the two purposes of this descriptive study were to (a) describe the meaning of a recurrence of cancer to the patient and (b) to explore if the patient perceives the diagnosis of recurrence as being different from the initial diagnosis of cancer. Purposeful sampling for persons with recent recurrent malignancy produced a sample (n = 20). Subjects completed an unstructured, indepth interview. The meaning of the recurrence was influenced by prior cancer-related experiences of the subjects and dominated by death and death-related concerns. Differences from the initial diagnosis included a deeper awareness of the significance of the "cancer diagnosis".