The Lived Experiences of Esophageal Cancer Patients With The Concept of Uncovering Pathways to Seeking Treatment and Follow-Up: A Qualitative Study in Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: Esophageal cancer patients experience multifaceted challenges but studies often focus on the prevalence and risk factors of esophageal cancer with no documentation of the lived experiences of patients. This study aimed at exploring the lived experiences of esophageal cancer patients with the concept of uncovering pathways to seeking treatment, and follow-up. Results:- The experience of seeking care began with self-care followed by visiting traditional healers, and hierarchical layers of health care delivery systems. The barriers to treatment follow-up were inaccessibility, unaffordability of health care services, and negative attitudes towards treatment. Patients experienced distresses linked to food intakes, treatment side effects, reduced quality of life, psychological and physical impairments. Esophageal cancer patients in this study experienced complex pathways to seeking treatment, multidimensional obstacles to treatment follow-up, and live with unbearable challenges.