title: Experiences of living with advanced colorectal cancer from two perspectives - inside and outside.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how life situation by persons with advanced colorectal cancer and their partners is affected by living with the disease and its treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Separate, individual interviews were made with persons with advanced colorectal cancer (n = 12) and their partners (n = 9) about how their daily lives were affected by the disease and its treatment. The verbatim transcripts were analysed using content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Living with the illness of advanced colorectal cancer was experienced to be: being inside or outside the healthcare system, striving for normality and becoming conscious of life's value and vulnerability. Living as a partner was experienced as living in an altered relation and as living in the shadow of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When one in a partner relation suffers from colorectal cancer, it changes life and life perspective for both partners. Partners need to be invited to and involved in the care. Cancer nursing should focus on supporting the strive for normality in daily life, as the disease and its' treatment may last for a longer period of time. Supporting the partner may benefit the person with cancer as well, to cope along the illness trajectory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Lund University Hospital, S-221 85 Lund, Sweden. Katarina.sjovall@med.lu.se
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sjövall
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gunnars
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomé
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*