Long-Term Survival of Women with Breast Cancer. Overview Supportive Care Needs Assessment Instruments.

Worldwide, breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death (after lung, stomach, liver and colon cancer), while among women it is first on the list. The incidence of breast cancer has made a dramatic increase since 1970 which is partly interpreted by the modern western life standards. The expected risk of breast cancer throughout a lifespan of an average is 1 in 11 women. The five-year survival rates for breast cancer are at 80% if it has not spread, and only at 40% for the metastatic type of cancer.The concept of survival comes from the US, where there is an active promotion of self-help difficulties coping strategies. Surviving from cancer may be a mixed experience. Survivors of cancer often say they are still running a full and meaningful life after experiencing a threatening disease. Others may find it difficult to handle the feeling that they have no right to be alive, which is probably related to the guilt of survival after the war. Although the survival potential for some is a satisfactory fee, others may be looking for improvement, change, or to adapt their life and struggle with the late effects of cancer after stopping the treatment.In recent years it has been observed that survival of women with breast cancer has increased significantly because of current antineoplastic therapeutic interventions. The definition of support needs derives from the one of supportive care considering that there is no theoretical framework or specific definition at the moment. "Supportive care is defined as the care which helps the individual and his/her family to deal with the experience of cancer and cover their bodily, emotional, psychological, social, mental and practical needs, as well as their need of information. It includes the period before the final diagnosis, during the diagnosis and the treatments or during the ongoing disease with recurrences and the survivors of the disease."