Decision Making in Breast Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Inquiry

For breast cancer patients, making decisions are integral to cancer diagnosis, treatment andprevention of recurrence. In order to make these decisions, cancer patients require appropriateand relevant information or guide. These decisions can also be influenced by external and internalfactors. To get an insight into decision making related to breast cancer treatment from the perspectiveof breast cancer patients and survivors, a series of focus group discussions (FGD) were conductedwith 36 informants of the Chinese and Malay ethnicities. The informants were recruited frombreast cancer support groups in the northern, central, southern and eastern regions of PeninsularMalaysia. The following research questions guided the FGD. These were (1) Who make (s) decisionon cancer treatments?, (2) What guide (s) the decision making?, and (3) What influence (s) thedecision? For most informants, the primary decision maker in their cancer treatment was themselves.However, these decisions were made upon advice and support from the physicians, family membersand friends. The informants stated that information from physicians, family members, friends,internet, books and magazines also served as guidance to decision making on cancer treatment andmanagement. Following the physicians’ advice, having the knowledge on breast cancer, taking careof family members and wanting to live longer to fulfil personal goals were also mentioned by theseinformants as factors which had influenced their treatment decision making. Further research usinga quantitative approach is therefore recommended to confirm the findings of this study.