Transitions, decisions, and regret: order in chaos after a cancer diagnosis.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis marks a life transition that evokes feelings of chaos. Additional transitions occur when patients with relapsed cancer must decide to pursue conventional care or participate in experimental clinical trials. Individuals with hematologic malignancies (n = 25) and their caregivers (n = 20) were interviewed about their decisions to have an experimental stem cell transplant. Noting that they had "no other choice," participants expressed no regret posttransplant. "Doing something" perhaps helped address the chaos of cancer. This aggressive response to advanced cancer also represented a social imperative that negated the options of living with the cancer or entering palliative care.
University of Washington Tacoma, 1900 Commerce St., Campus Box 358421, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA. drevdahl@uw.edu
Denise J
DJ
Drevdahl
Kathleen Shannon
KS
Dorcy
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult