Living Through Chemotherapy: Exploring the Subjective Experience of Breast Cancer Patients in Navigating Treatment Side Effects
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Abstract
Breast cancer treatment, particularly chemotherapy, continues to be a central concern in clinical pharmacology due to its profound physiological and psychological effects on patients. While existing research has explored treatment efficacy and side effect management, limited attention has been given to the subjective experiences of patients undergoing chemotherapy. What remains unclear is how patients interpret and assign meaning to the side effects of chemotherapy and how these meanings influence their perception of treatment. This study adopts an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of breast cancer patients and provide insight into the meanings they construct during chemotherapy. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten female breast cancer patients aged between 35 and 60 years, all undergoing chemotherapy at a major oncology center in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis revealed four key themes: the duality of fear and hope, embodied vulnerability, meaning-making in suffering, and the centrality of trust in medical professionals. These findings highlight how patients emotionally navigate their treatment and underscore the importance of supportive, empathetic care. This study enhances our understanding of the chemotherapy experience beyond clinical symptoms and suggests that incorporating patient narratives into oncology practice may improve adherence and emotional resilience. The results contribute to a more holistic perspective on patient care and open pathways for future research on meaning-centered interventions in cancer treatment.
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