‘I Had It. I Don’t Think I Have It…But I Do Feel It Will Come Back Somewhere’: A Qualitative Investigation of the Experience of People With Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Very little is known about the impact of living with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). NMIBC patients’ experiences of their illness–in terms of their perceptions, coping strategies and psychological wellbeing–were explored. This study describes an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of individuals’ accounts of living with NMIBC while on routine surveillance for cancer recurrence. Ten individuals took part in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Three superordinate themes were derived from the data. The first theme, Being Diagnosed and Treated for NMIBC, concerned the observation that participants considered the physical implications, timeline and practicalities of their illness of primary importance and focused less on its psychological aspects. The second theme, Grappling with the Illness, outlined the impact of the doctor–patient relationship. The final theme, ‘I don’t treat it as a problem. I treat it as an issue’, delineated how participants managed difficult emotions in the context of the illness. Findings from this study demonstrated that participants generally found effective ways to cope with their illness and experience of ongoing surveillance, though delay of emotional responses was common. Clinical implications for healthcare professionals are outlined including the importance of high-quality communication with the urology team.