Patient's experiences on receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer pre, pending and post treatment: A qualitative study at Bugando medical centre Mwanza, Tanzania

• Main Authors: Francis Kazoba (Author), Juston John (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Global Journal of Cancer Therapy - Peertechz Publications, 2021-08-23.
• Subjects: Research Article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

<p>The objective of this study was to present a descriptive summary of patients experiences on receiving radiation treatment for Head And Neck Cancers (HNC). A qualitative descriptive study design was used and 60 patients who undergo radiation therapy for head and neck cancers at Bugando medical centre in Mwanza were randomly selected. The face to face interviews were conducted for data collection to 60 patients who receive radiation treatment for head and neck cancers between April 2021 to June 2021 for descriptive and thematic analysis of data collected. Experiences from interview revealed six main themes: </p><p>Understanding and acceptance of disease, Desire to know the treatment plan and the overall treatment process,Functional disability, Change of body image, Decrease of social interactions, Fear of cancer recurrence. Little attention have been directed in knowing the experiences on receiving radiation treatment by patients. Findings from this study have contributed to the development of head and neck cancer patients support and education to patients and families.</p>