Self-care in cancer
More than a third of the Swedish population will develop cancer at some point in their lives. With better medical treatments and improved public health, more than six out of ten people now live more than ten years after their cancer diagnosis. This means that cancer rehabilitation and self-care are becoming increasingly important to ensure quality of life, functional capacity and work ability after treatment.
Patients experience a variety of symptoms that reduce their quality of life during and after cancer, such as pain, fatigue, dyspnea, nausea, swelling, anxiety, and more. In addition to medical care, rehabilitation after cancer is essential to maintain quality of life and function. Rehabilitation and self-care are carried out to minimize the consequences of the cancer and its treatment. Good self-care is desirable as it may provide health benefits, facilitate return to work, promote quality of life, and in the long run possibly contribute to higher survival rates. There is a lack of knowledge about self-care and the factors that can modify quality of life, functional capacity and symptom burden during and beyond cancer. As a cancer survivor, being able to regain good quality of life and capacity in professional work and everyday life can mean great benefits both for the affected individual and for society, in the form of reduced exclusion, increased quality of life and reduced costs.
The aim of the project, which is a collaboration between the University of Gävle, LTU and Umeå University, is to investigate the application of self-care practices during and after cancer treatment.
Participating researchers from LTU are Silje Gustafsson. Anna Efverman at the University of Gävle is the responsible researcher.
Updated: