The minimization to clients of screen-detected breast cancer: a qualitative analysis

Previous research has shown a low incidence of psychological morbidity in w omen with screen-detected breast cancer when compared to women with symptom atic breast cancer, Farmer et al. suggested that this might be due to the w ay the diagnosis of breast cancer is given to women with screen-detected di sease. In order to test this hypothesis a detailed, in-depth, qualitative s tudy was undertaken. The sample consisted of women with symptomatic breast cancer (n = 5), women with screen-detected invasive breast cancer In (n = 6 ) and women with screen-detected in-situ breast cancer (n = 5). The 'bad ne ws consultations' with the surgeons, and subsequent meetings with the breas t care nurses (BCN), were tape recorded. The women were also interviewed in their own homes within 7 days. The results suggested that the women with s creen-detected breast cancer received more reassurance than the women with symptomatic breast cancer and that the benefits of breast screening were em phasized by the surgeons and the BCNs. This led to minimization of the sign ificance of screen-detected disease. Women were found to draw on a new conc eptual model of early curable breast cancer which appears to be associated with a low incidence of psychological morbidity.