Living a Cancer Surveillance Life: A Meta-Ethnographic Synthesis of Everyday Experiences and Ambivalences for Women Living With Hereditary Risk of Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer
Professor Ayo Wahlberg has together with Julie I. P. Gislinge, Anna Byrjalsen, Klara V. Naver, Helle V. Clausen, Pernille Ravn, Kresten R. Petersen and Karin Wadt co-written the article 'Living a Cancer Surveillance Life: A Meta-Ethnographic Synthesis of Everyday Experiences and Ambivalences for Women Living With Hereditary Risk of Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer'. The article was published in Pscyho-Oncology: Journal of the Psychological, Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Cancer in December 2024.
Women with or at risk of hereditary breast- and ovarian cancer (HBOC) often live a surveillance-focused life from young adulthood. As they navigate a life of heightened medical vigilance, or a “cancer surveillance life,” the authors explore how women with HBOC, as well as their partners and families, experience this particular kind of living through a thorough literature review of existing qualitative research.
The authors identified key similarities across studies to highlight generalizable aspects of living with HBOC. They discovered five central themes which capture the ambivalences experienced by the women: (1) an unresolved balancing act regarding genetic testing (2) burdens of relaying genetic information within the family (3) experienced risk discrepancies (4) preservation of the self and (5) unsettled reproductive feelings.
In the article the authors conclude that living with HBOC is filled with ambivalences, which are critical for decision making concerning disclosing risks to family members and children, choosing between risk-reducing surgeries or surveillance, and family planning. Furthermore, healthcare professionals should be aware of these findings when counseling women and families with HBOC to provide the best support possible in navigating their unique kind of living.
The article is open access and can be found on WILEY Online Library.