ArticleFrontiers in public health2026
Exploring the lived experiences of women with breast cancer: a qualitative study across different stages of the disease.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among women in Saudi Arabia and is frequently diagnosed at younger ages and more advanced stages than in many high-income settings. Qualitative accounts of how Saudi women experience breast cancer across the disease trajectory remain scarce. To explore the diagnosis experience, treatment journey, psychological impact, and social and healthcare support gaps of women across different stages of breast cancer attending a charitable cancer support organization in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 12 women diagnosed with breast cancer at various stages. Participants were recruited through a charitable cancer support organization in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in Arabic, audio-recorded, verbatim, and translated into English. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify shared patterns and divergent experiences. Results: A total of five themes were identified. Diagnosis experience was reported as profound emotional disruption described mainly as shock, fear and disbelief which were further intensified by delays in diagnosis and referral pathways. Treatment journeys were multimodal and patients mainly emphasized the difficulties faced in symptoms management and the lack of preparedness for the physical and emotional burden of the therapeutic modalities. Psychological impact ranged from fear to severe distress, some participants reported emotional coping by social support, and faith-based acceptance as the main protective factors while others highlighted the role of marital struggles and fear for the future in exacerbating their stress. Conclusion: Within this single-site charitable-organization sample, women's experiences were shaped by timeliness of diagnosis, preparedness for treatment, symptom control, quality of clinician communication, marital stability, and faith-based meaning-making. Findings are exploratory and context-specific; they highlight potential leverage points, earlier referral, structured pre-treatment education, proactive psychosocial screening, and sensitivity to marital and cultural context, that warrant evaluation in larger, multi-site Saudi studies.
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