title: The perils of a vanishing cohort: a study of social comparisons by women with advanced ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the role social comparisons play in the experience of ovarian cancer patients and to consider the implications this may have for provision of supportive care services for ovarian cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study of women with advanced ovarian cancer in Sydney, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women with advanced ovarian cancer over a period of 2.5 years. Social comparisons made by 13 study participants in 33 interviews were extracted and analysed using coding categories based on social comparison theory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants favoured downward contrasts and lateral comparisons and avoided downward identifications, upward contrasts and upward identifications. Participants expressed a preference for avoiding contact with ovarian cancer patients, for the company of 'normal' others, for normalising information and information that facilitated upward identifications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that social comparisons made by women with ovarian cancer are influenced by specific clinical factors associated with their diagnosis-in particular, their status as a member of a 'vanishing cohort'-and argue for further research examining the specific comparison needs and preferences of patients with advanced disease and types of cancer with poor prognoses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings raise questions about uniform approaches to the provision of cancer care and suggest that further research may be required to ensure that interventions are appropriately tailored to the supportive care needs of patients with different types and stages of disease.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. bronwenmorrell@gmail.com
authors.forename: Bronwen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morrell
authors.forename: Christopher F C
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Jordens
authors.forename: Ian H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kerridge
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Harnett
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support