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Using secondary analysis of life story interview data from patients who underwent HNC surgery, the study applies thematic analysis followed by interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine how participants make sense of illness. Results span diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, recurrence, and future projection, highlighting diagnostic wandering and identity loss, including reclaiming one’s body post-surgery and changes to feminine symbolism.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/womens-experiences-of-head-and-neck-cancer-an-interpretative-phenomenological-analysis-research-open-access/364852/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/womens-experiences-of-head-and-neck-cancer-an-interpretative-phenomenological-analysis-research-open-access/364852.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Rowan","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-28","2026-09-23",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What was the purpose of this study on head and neck cancer?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"To explore women’s experiences of head and neck cancer, given that HNC is predominantly studied in men.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"How were the interviews analyzed?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The study used secondary analysis of life story interviews, first conducting thematic analysis to identify patterns, then applying interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine how participants made sense of their experiences.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What key themes were identified in women’s illness journeys?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Themes covered diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, recurrence, and future projection, including diagnostic wandering and identity loss, such as reclaiming one’s body and loss of feminine symbolism.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},364852,1790225881,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":145,"read_time":146},1099514067415,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/100002539d78ffe74a7?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779092875211072502","Vandamme et al. BMC Women's Health (2025) 25:145 BMC Women's Health  \n[https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03671-w](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03671-w)  \nRESEARCH Open Access  \n“Women’s experiences of head and neck cancer: an interpretative phenomenological analysis”  \nCharlotte Vandamme 1*, Sophie Cremades2, Sylvie Testelin3 and Sophie Lelorain 1  \nAbstract  \nPurpose Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are predominantly studied in men. This study aimed to explore women’s experiences of HNC.  \nMethods The study was based on the secondary analysis of interviews conducted by using the life story methodology with patients who underwent surgery for HNC. We selected seven particularly rich interviews regarding the experience of cancer and first conducted a thematic analysis to identify key patterns in the data. We then applied interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore in depth how participants made sense of their experiences. Results Key themes were identified across different phases of the illness journey, including diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, recurrence, and future projection. A major challenge was diagnostic wandering, as many women did not fit the typical head and neck cancer (HNC) profile—typically a man who consumes alcohol and tobacco. Identity loss was a central issue, with themes of reclaiming one’s body post-surgery and the loss of feminine symbolism (infertility, hair loss, self-recognition) . Coping strategies varied: some sought social support and aimed to return to work, while others viewed surgery as essential for recovery.  \nConclusion These findings highlight the need for personalized support tailored to women’s specific needs and challenges.  \nImplications for cancer survivors This study emphasize the importance of providing personalized support that closely aligns with the needs of female head and neck cancer survivors. It is crucial to consider their subjectivity, recognizing that each experience is unique, to better assist them in overcoming adversity. Tailoring care to their individual realities will more effectively address their emotional and physical difficulties.  \nKeywords Head and neck cancer, Women, Gender study, Interpretative phenomenological analysis, Lived experience  \n*Correspondence:  \nCharlotte Vandamme  \n[Charlotte.vandamme@unil.ch](Charlotte.vandamme@unil.ch)  \n1Department of Psychology, Research Center in Health, Aging and Sport Psychology, University of Lausanne, Institut de psychologie (IP), Quartier UNIL-Mouline Bâtiment Géopolis, CH-1015, Lausanne 4525, Switzerland 2Service de psychiatrie de Liaison au Centre Hospitalier Universitaired’Amiens, 1 rond-point du Professeur Christian Cabrol, Amiens  \n80054, France  \n3Service de Chirurgie Maxillo-Faciale au Centre Hospitalier Universitaired’Amiens, 1 rond-point du Professeur Christian Cabrol, Amiens  \n80054, France  \n© The Author(s) 2025. 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://creati](http://creati)[vecommons.org/l](vecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.  \nVandamme et al. BMC Women's Health (2025","cbCaif1cHSywb42X","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaif1cHSywb42X","pdf",1169635,13,"English","# Abstract\n## Purpose\n## Methods\n## Results\n## Conclusion\n## Implications","[{\"question\":\"What was the purpose of this study on head and neck cancer?\",\"answer\":\"To explore women’s experiences of head and neck cancer, given that HNC is predominantly studied in men.\"},{\"question\":\"How were the interviews analyzed?\",\"answer\":\"The study used secondary analysis of life story interviews, first conducting thematic analysis to identify patterns, then applying interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine how participants made sense of their experiences.\"},{\"question\":\"What key themes were identified in women’s illness journeys?\",\"answer\":\"Themes covered diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, recurrence, and future projection, including diagnostic wandering and identity loss, such as reclaiming one’s body and loss of feminine symbolism.\"}]","Women’s experiences of head and neck cancer - an interpretative phenomenological analysis - Research open access | PDF",1790159230,33]