title: The road less travelled: Australian women's experiences with vulval cancer.
abstract: Despite advances in surgical treatments and the availability of more conservative treatment options, women treated for vulval cancer still experience significant complications such as urinary incontinence, lymphoedema, pruritus, sexual and intimacy issues. These issues can profoundly impact a woman's quality of life. The subjective experience of women diagnosed and treated for vulval cancer in the literature is limited, possibly due to its comparable rarity to other gynaecological and female cancers and because it was traditionally seen mainly in the elderly female population. Nonetheless, younger women are also being diagnosed with vulval cancer. This paper reports the findings from a qualitative study about twelve women's experiences with vulval cancer from diagnosis, through treatment and recovery. Women's feelings of isolation, their unmet information and support needs, physical concerns arising from vulval cancer, particularly after surgery, and the consequences for their body image and intimate relationships with partners, were highlighted within the data. The central findings from this study emphasise the need for further research to develop appropriate interventions for women with vulval cancer. It also highlights opportunities to improve clinical practice into the supportive care of women with this isolating disease.
authors.affiliation: Lifehouse Gynaecologic Oncology Group, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.|Cancer Nursing Research Unit (MO2), Sydney Nursing School, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Philp
authors.affiliation: Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer, John Hunter Hospital, New Castle, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mellon
authors.affiliation: Cancer Nursing Research Unit (MO2), Sydney Nursing School, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: Cancer Nursing Research Unit (MO2), Sydney Nursing School, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: D'Abrew
authors.affiliation: Cancer Nursing Research Unit (MO2), Sydney Nursing School, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|School of Nursing, Midwifery and Postgraduate Medicine, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D001828:Body Image; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D004644:Emotions; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000523:psychology; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012944:Social Support; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: body image; cancer; female cancers; quality of life; supportive care; surgery