Living with cancer of the head and neck: A qualitative inquiry into the experiences of South African patients

Objective To describe the experiences of South African patients living with head and neck cancer. Methods We used a qualitative descriptive design and conducted unstructured interviews with 18 ( n  = 18) purposive selected participants. Data saturation determined the sample size. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results The majority of the sample were Black males; on average, 50.8 years ( SD  ± 13.6) old. Two themes and eight subthemes arose from the data. The themes were living with the consequences of the illness and treatment, and coping with a changed life. The lives the participants knew before becoming sick changed and became a living hell; pain was a major problem as was eating and for some, communicating. The participants were stigmatised, ridiculed and rejected which added to their suffering. Receiving support from family and friends and their faith in God assisted them to cope with their changed lives. Conclusion Our study poses various challenges to clinical practice. Pain management is of the utmost importance; the nutritional status of these patients should be monitored and best practices in terms of management applied. Raising awareness of cancer and its complications could improve knowledge and decrease blame, stigmatisation and rejection and improve patient outcomes.