BACKGROUND Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases in women. Prevention and treatments have lowered mortality; nevertheless, the impact of the diagnosis and treatment continue to impact all aspects of patients' lives (physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual). OBJECTIVE This study seeks to explore the experiences of the different stages women with breast cancer go through by means of a patient journey. METHODS This is a qualitative study in which 21 women with breast cancer or survivors were interviewed. Participants were recruited at 9 large hospitals in Spain and intentional sampling methods were applied. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview that was elaborated with the help of medical oncologists, nurses, and psycho-oncologists. Data were processed by adopting a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer entails a radical change in patients' day-to-day that linger in the mid-term. Seven stages have been defined that correspond to the different medical processes: diagnosis/unmasking stage, surgery/cleaning out, chemotherapy/loss of identity, radiotherapy/transition to normality, follow-up care/the "new" day-to-day, relapse/starting over, and metastatic/time-limited chronic breast cancer. The most relevant aspects of each are highlighted, as are the various cross-sectional aspects that manifest throughout the entire patient journey. CONCLUSIONS Comprehending patients' experiences in depth facilitates the detection of situations of risk and helps to identify key moments when more precise information should be offered. Similarly, preparing the women for the process they must confront and for the sequelae of medical treatments would contribute to decreasing their uncertainty and concern, and to improving their quality-of-life.

中文翻译：

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乳腺癌患者通过旅程地图体验：一项定性研究。


背景技术乳腺癌是女性中最常见的疾病之一。预防和治疗降低了死亡率；然而，诊断和治疗的影响继续影响患者生活的各个方面（身体、情感、认知、社会和精神）。目的 本研究旨在通过患者旅程探索乳腺癌女性所经历的不同阶段的经历。方法 这是一项定性研究，采访了 21 名乳腺癌女性或幸存者。参与者是在西班牙 9 家大型医院招募的，并采用了有意抽样的方法。数据是通过半结构化访谈收集的，该访谈是在肿瘤内科医生、护士和心理肿瘤学家的帮助下精心设计的。采用主题分析方法处理数据。结果乳腺癌的诊断和治疗需要在中期对患者的日常生活进行根本性的改变。定义了对应于不同医疗过程的七个阶段：诊断/揭露阶段、手术/清理、化疗/身份丧失、放疗/恢复正常、后续护理/“新”的日常、复发/重新开始，以及转移性/有时限的慢性乳腺癌。突出显示了每个方面最相关的方面，以及在整个患者旅程中体现的各个横截面方面。结论 深入理解患者的经历有助于发现风险情况，并有助于确定应提供更准确信息的关键时刻。 同样，让妇女为必须面对的过程和医疗后遗症做好准备，将有助于减少她们的不确定性和担忧，并提高她们的生活质量。