Navigating the challenging storms of cancer management in a national cancer centre - perspectives of female patients - research article summary

Sep 21, 2026

Breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers affect women worldwide and pose a pathway of difficulties from symptom onset through diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. These barriers span physical, psychological, and social domains, reducing patients’ quality of life. Research is needed to understand both the challenges reproductive-cancer patients face and the coping strategies they use, including the roles of different support sources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Background

Global and regional cancer burden

Challenges across the cancer pathway

Mensah etal. BMC Public Health (2024) 24:2856 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20360-9](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20360-9) BMC Public Health RESEARCH Open Access Navigating the challenging storms of cancer management in a national cancer centre: perspectives of female patients Naa Adjeley Mensah1,2, Yaw Boateng Mensah3,4* and Florence Dedey5,6 Abstract Background Breast, cervical, and ovarian cancers are among the top ten global cancers, affecting women, with age-standardized rates per 100,000 being 47.8 for breast, 13.3 for cervical, and 6.6 for ovarian cancer. The journey from cancer symptoms, through diagnosis and treatment, to survivorship, presents numerous challenges. These challenges encompass physical, psychological, and social aspects, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. It is crucial for research to explore not only the challenges faced by patients but also the strategies they employ to cope with these obstacles. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional qualitative approach. Twenty respondents, aged between 15 and 45 years and had been diagnosed with a reproductive cancer (breast, ovarian, or cervical), and were either undergoing treatment or had completed treatment within one year of the study period were purposively selected. Respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. A thematic analysis was conducted on twenty in-depth interviews (IDIs) to understand the challenges and support systems for cancer patients. Results The study identified two principal themes: the challenges faced by patients and the available support systems. The findings are based on patient narratives regarding the obstacles encountered during diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, along with the mitigation strategies employed. Patients reported a range of challenges, categorized into financial and non-financial. Prominent among the non-financial challenges were psychological distress, body image issues, reduced sexual drive, and overall health deterioration. Support was primarily found through personal relationships and religious or spiritual beliefs. Conclusion The research highlights the extensive psychological and social effects of cancer and it’s treatment. The study revealed the intertwined nature of financial difficulties and non-financial challenges, emphasizing the importance of social support, including religious, family, healthcare, and peer support. The findings suggest that a comprehensive, multidisciplinary management plan which encompasses both medical and supportive care is required to enhance patient well-being. Keywords Reproductive cancers, Support, Psychosocial impact, Challenges *Correspondence: Yaw Boateng Mensah [ybmensah@ug.edu.gh](ybmensah@ug.edu.gh) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)[.](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc

FAQs

What challenges do female patients with reproductive cancers report?

Patients describe both financial and non-financial challenges, with non-financial issues including psychological distress, body image concerns, reduced sexual drive, and declining overall health.

How was the study conducted?

The study used a cross-sectional qualitative design with purposive sampling of 20 respondents aged 15–45 who had reproductive cancer, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.

What support systems do patients primarily rely on?

Support was mainly found through personal relationships and religious or spiritual beliefs, alongside the broader social support structure emphasized in the findings.

Sep 21, 2026

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