Background: Cancer is a collective name for many different diseases and occurs when the balance in a cell is disturbed and transforms into a tumor cell. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Suffering from cancer affects a person physically and psychologically, and surviving cancer can be just as wearing. 

Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe people's experiences of surviving a cancer disease.

Method: A literature study was used as a method. 12 articles were selected for the result. The articles were found in the databases Cinahl and PsycInfo.

Results: The result gave rise to three main themes: "Loss of trust in healthcare", "Living with consequences" and "Feelings about the future". With seven associated subthemes: "Not getting information", "Feeling forgotten", “Lack of identity”, “Strategies for change”, “Having someone to talk to”, "Not feeling safe'' and “Daring to dream”. The results show how complicated the aftercare of cancer can be, both for healthcare professionals but not least for cancer survivors. Experiences of having survived cancer differed depending on the support network around.

Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the healthcare system is lacking in several aspects when it comes to aftercare for cancer survivors. Where the healthcare system failed, there were family, friends and people with similar experiences as support. Fear of relapse, fear of dying and anxiety were leading emotions in the study's results.