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. 2021 Sep 20;21(1):1041.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-08776-7.

Diversity of cancer-related identities in long-term prostate cancer survivors after radical prostatectomy

Matthias Jahnen  1 , Eike Mynzak  1 , Valentin H Meissner  1 , Stefan Schiele  1 , Helga Schulwitz  1 , Donna P Ankerst  2 , Jürgen E Gschwend  1 , Kathleen Herkommer  1 , Andreas Dinkel  3
Affiliations

Diversity of cancer-related identities in long-term prostate cancer survivors after radical prostatectomy

Matthias Jahnen et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Individuals affected by cancer need to integrate this experience into their personal biography as their life continues after primary therapy, leading to substantial changes in self-perception. This study identified factors uniquely associated with 5 different cancer-related identities in order to improve the understanding of how self-perception in men affected by prostate cancer is associated with certain clinical and psychosocial characteristics.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, long-term prostate cancer survivors after radical prostatectomy were asked to choose one of 5 cancer-related identities that described them best. Associations with sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological variables were investigated using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: Three thousand three hundred forty-seven men (mean age 78.1 years) surveyed on average 15.6 years after prostatectomy were included. Most men favored the terms "someone who has had cancer" (43.9%) which was associated with a mild disease course, and "patient" (26.3%) which was associated with ongoing therapy and biochemical disease recurrence. The self-descriptions "cancer survivor" (16.8%), "cancer conqueror" (10.9%) and "victim" (2.1%) were less common. "Cancer survivor" was associated with high perceived disease severity (OR: 1.86 [1.44-2.40]). "Cancer survivor" and "cancer conqueror" were related to high benefit finding (OR: 1.89 [1.48-2.40], OR: 1.46 [1.12-1.89] respectively), and only "cancer conqueror" was associated with high well-being (OR: 1.84 [1.35-2.50]). Identification as "victim" was associated with a positive depression screening and low well-being (OR: 2.22 [1.15-4.31], OR: 0.38 [0.20-0.72] respectively) (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Although long-term survival is common among men affected by PCa, they display a large diversity in cancer-related identities, which are associated with unique clinical and psychological characteristics. These cancer-related identities and their distinctive properties are associated with psychological well-being even after a long follow-up.

Keywords: Cancer survivors; Cancer-related identity; Prostate cancer; Psychosocial adaptation; Survivorship.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors (Matthias Jahnen, Eike Mynzak, Valentin H. Meissner, Stefan Schiele, Helga Schulwitz, Donna P. Ankerst, Jürgen E. Gschwend, Kathleen Herkommer, and Andreas Dinkel) have nothing to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Self-identification in the study sample of men affected by prostate cancer with a mean follow-up of 15.6 years
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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