Navigating the Social Context of Metastatic Breast Cancer: Reflections on a Project Linking Research to Drama

Abstract

Over the past two decades there has been a dramatic shift in attitudes towards cancer, particularly breast cancer. The former stigma associated with the disease, while not entirely eradicated, is no longer primary. Breast cancer’s new upbeat image focuses on prevention, early detection and survivorship, not on death. In this article we explore the implications of this societal shift for women with metastatic breast cancer. To do this, we draw on several sources of information: (1) a focus group study we conducted with women with metastatic breast cancer; (2) excerpts from a theatre script about metastatic disease, based in large part on our focus group research; and (3) interviews with participants in the development of the theatre production, especially women with metastatic disease. We conclude that the difficult realities facing seriously ill individuals are most often ignored or avoided by those who surround them. Where the grim challenges of metastatic cancer are acknowledged, patients are often pressured to take up narratives that cast them outside the discourse of everyday life, as either passive victims or courageous heroes.