Exploring Women's Experiences of Information Across Their Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: A Qualitative Analysis

BACKGROUND: Access to timely and appropriate information is a key component of quality cancer care. AIMS: This study aimed to fill an important gap regarding the information experiences of women with endometrial cancer from diagnosis to treatment. METHODS: This study is based on 24 interviews with women diagnosed with endometrial cancer in Queensland, Australia in 2022-2023. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to provide an in-depth exploration of women's accounts of information across their diagnosis and treatment journeys. RESULTS: The researchers identified three implicit and socially constructed assumptions women negotiated when it came to information. These included: (1) the physical body is of central importance; (2) more information is better; and (3) medical knowledge is most credible. These assumptions were not always upheld or accepted; at times, they were rejected by women and ultimately shaped how women made sense of, and spoke about, their experiences of information. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings point to the need for women to be supported to engage with contextually sensitive information regarding their cancer. In particular, health professionals should be actively involved in ensuring women understand their cancer (including treatment side-effects and risk of recurrence), are supported with psycho-social impacts, and that alternative and holistic sources of information are acknowledged alongside medical information. These findings point to the need for health professionals to reflect on their own communication practices and how they may reinforce assumptions that shape women's experiences of endometrial cancer.