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Screening for pain and ROM restrictions should be part of breast cancer follow-up care. Left untreated, arm morbidity could have a long-term effect on quality of life. Additional research into the longevity of various arm morbidity symptoms and possible interrelationships also is required.

Comprehensive behavioral management and rehabilitation programs are needed to treat arm morbidity following breast cancer surgery. These programs should address the full scope of symptoms and associated psychosocial and functional sequelae.

This article represents one facet of the author's research on women's experiences of embodiment after breast cancer. Herein, women's reliance on and rejection of medicalized understandings of this condition are explored via participants' descriptions of memories of treatment. Data collection consisted of 24 in-depth interviews with 12 women, using phenomenological and feminist approaches. Five themes emerged: (a) issues of control, (b) suffering, (c) encountering medicine, (d) visible loss, and (e) leaving active treatment. Participants found the medicalization of breast cancer to be problematic, but they were also reluctant to leave the realm of acute care. Although a large volume of breast cancer research now exists, the women's accounts demonstrate that further research into the experience of breast cancer is necessary.

While there has been a vast amount of research on breast cancer in recent years, areas within this domain remain unexplored. For instance, there have been few attempts to marry an understanding of the social context in which breast cancer occurs with an understanding of subjective experiences of this condition. The purpose of this study was to explore women's experiences of embodiment after breast cancer, utilizing a phenomenological approach rooted in a feminist perspective. The focus of this article is upon the changes to embodiment that are long-term. Twelve women were interviewed on two occasions each and were asked to talk about changes to their bodies that occurred as a result of breast cancer. Three key themes were identified: (1) how it feels (e.g. sensation and breast loss); (2) managing appearances (e.g. wearing prostheses); and (3) treatments without end (e.g. menopause). The findings of this study show that women with breast cancer are a diverse group and that survivorship is a dynamic, life-long process, which suggests that health professionals can play an important role in establishing interdisciplinary approaches to caring, beyond the conclusion of acute treatment.

A qualitative study explored primary care physicians' experiences of diagnosing and treating depression. Twenty physicians participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview questions asked physicians to consider a range of topics such as the etiology of depression, the diagnostic process and treatment of depression. Transcripts were analyzed discursively with a view to exploring the ways in which physicians construct depression. In this article, physicians' constructions of depression are examined through exploration of their descriptions of this condition, as well as their recognition of the social context of depression. Based on this analysis, it was concluded that physicians' medicalized understandings of depression conflict with recognition of the social context of depression. The result of this conflict is dissonant descriptions of depression. One implication of this research is that physicians' training would benefit from the integration of multidisciplinary perspectives on depression, which would better reflect physicians' experiences in routine practice situations.

Breast cancer survivors should engage in recreational and leisure activities that are compatible with reduced range of motion and pain, and avoid those that exacerbate their arm morbidity.

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