Background: Lifestyle interventions are suggested to reduce the symptom burden and comorbidities in patients with breast cancer and as an empowerment tool. However, undergoing chemotherapy is associated with low compliance to lifestyle recommendations. Importantly, few studies have documented the experiences of patients with breast cancer of participating in a comprehensive lifestyle intervention study while undergoing curative chemotherapy.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients with breast cancer of participating in an individualized comprehensive lifestyle intervention study focusing on diet, physical activity, mental stress management, and smoking cessation while undergoing curative chemotherapy.
Methods: A qualitative design with semistructured interviews of 10 patients with breast cancer undergoing curative chemotherapy was conducted 3 to 4 months after inclusion to the lifestyle intervention. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and qualitative content analysis with a hermeneutic perspective was applied.
Results: Two main themes emerged: (1) breast cancer treatment may put motivation for lifestyle changes on hold, and (2) individualization is the key.
Conclusions: Participating in a lifestyle intervention may impose additional burdens on patients with cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. Despite this, most women experienced participation as beneficial, and importantly, all would recommend that patients in the same situation should participate.
Implications for practice: Healthcare professionals should have the patients' individual needs in mind when implementing lifestyle interventions, and the timing of lifestyle interventions should be implemented thoughtfully in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy in an adjuvant setting. Furthermore, the participants' experiences described here are valuable for the design of future lifestyle intervention studies.