Qualitative inquiry on the experiences of Filipino women living with a sister with breast cancer: insights for psycho-oncology

Psychosocial implications of breast cancer diagnosis in families typically focused on marital and mother-daughter relationships. The lack of sibling-oriented perspectives on this phenomenon led this present study to investigate the experiences of Filipino women living with a sister diagnosed with breast cancer. Using the phenomenological approach of inquiry, semi-structured interviews were conducted to twelve purposively sampled women recruited from the Breast Care Center-Philippine General Hospital between January to February 2017. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that the participants have encountered many facets of the impact of the cancer journey, and these oftentimes led to unwanted personal and familial adjustments. Hence, improving the provision of services that address the psychosocial effects of cancer is warranted.