The purpose of this study was to explore men's motivations and experiences of attending a penile cancer support group and critically analyse whether participating in the support group has an impact on their psychological well‐being. Eleven men attended a focus group facilitated by a cancer nurse specialist and a group facilitator. This was held in the hospital in the same setting as the monthly support group meeting. Written consent was gained. On the day an open question was asked to identify what motivates the men to attend the support group. The results were recorded using a digital audio recording device and then transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was then utilised to identify common themes. Six themes were identified as to why these men attended the penile cancer support group on a regular basis: making friendships, supporting others, sharing experiences, peer support, receiving information and raising awareness. Face to face support groups have shown to be a mode of delivering support to men who have been diagnosed and treated for this rare disease. These findings suggest that meeting men with a similar condition and sharing experiences of living with the disease were important to the men participating in this study.
IntroductionThe end of life care needs of young adults, aged 16–40 years, are poorly described in current literature and no specific guidance exists for professionals that takes account of factors such as rarity, cancer type, heterogeneity and influence of life stage.Aims and MethodsWe will use using realistic evaluation to understand:A. Core components in pathways of care in the last year of life for people with cancer aged 16–40 years.B. How young adults and their families can be supported to achieve their preferences for care.C. Challenges for health and social care professionals.Work commences in 2013 and is linked to quantitative data from NIHR national programme, BRIGHTLIGHT (http://www.brightlightstudy.com). Research will be conducted in three or more sites across UK and includes patients, families and multiple professional disciplines as participants, shaping investigation and outputs.There are five phases:1. Drawing together literature and national cancer intelligence;2. Interviews with young adults, families and professionals;3. Scenario workshops with families and professionals;4. Analysis and interpretation of data including refinement through discussion with a panel of experts;5. Development of recommendations for practice.ResultsFindings from BRIGHTLIGHT will be synthesised with our emerging qualitative data to inform explanations on needs and preferences for care in young adults and their families as the project progresses.ConclusionsThis innovative, comprehensive study of the end of life needs of young adults aged 16–40 years uses in-depth, multi-layered data which will inform understanding of need and inform policy and service delivery.
There is an ever-increasing number of cancer survivors entering adult life. Health-care professionals in this field must ensure that there is seamless transition through paediatric, teenage and young adult and adult services such that an individual patient is able to achieve his/her maximum potential and enjoy a quality, 'cancer-free' future.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.