Living and Dying with Cancer

This book explores the impact of cancer on those with the disease and the people around them.

Angela Armstrong-Coster (Author)

9780521546676, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 June 2004

210 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.29 kg

'… lives are richly and delightfully illustrated through eloquent prose that captures the essence of those lives so that we all may learn from them. … There are important messages contained in the text for health professionals and families alike. … This book should be recommended reading for students of all professions where the care of people who are dying is a possibility. … Angela Armstrong-Coster was given a great gift by those she interviewed and she has passed it on to us in an enhanced and enriched way.' Mortality

Living and Dying with Cancer is a powerful and moving account of the experiences of those affected by one of the most common causes of death in the Western world. Through a series of individual narratives based on extensive interviews carried out by the author, the book explores the impact of being diagnosed with cancer on those with the disease and the people around them. It follows the different trajectories of the disease from the very first symptoms, through treatment to death and shows how the experience of the disease and even the way it develops is affected by the social context of the people involved, as well as their own physical and psychological characteristics. This book will be an invaluable resource not only for social scientists and health professionals but also for those coming to terms with the impact of cancer on their own lives.

Preface. Opening the silence
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Mortality in modern culture
2. Stage 1 - departure
3. Stage 2 - exploration
4. Stage 3 - anticipation
5. Stage 4 - destination
Last words
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Oncology [MJCL], Sociology & anthropology [JH]