Breast cancer: demands of illness.

This study explores the qualitative experience of illness demands from the woman's own perspective by asking, "What is the impact of breast cancer on the daily lives of women of childbearing age?" Semistructured interviews with 79 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer were transcribed and analyzed to discern illness demands. Content analysis yielded 14 domains of illness demands: treatment issues, change in life context or perspective, acceptance of the illness, social interaction or support, physical changes, reconstructing the self, uncertainty, loss, making comparisons, acquiring new knowledge, making choices, mortality issues, financial or occupational concerns, and making a contribution. Illness demands are experienced in every aspect of a woman's life, including her identity, daily routines, family and social experience, and her perception of the past, present, and future. This study details in the women's own language the considerable adjustments brought on by a diagnosis of breast cancer.