Background

Breast cancer is a disease that is common in Sweden and in the whole world. This is a serious and progressive disease. Without proper treatment, the disease can lead to death. The goal of the treatment is to remove the cancer tumour. Living without a breast or losing a breast often implies going through a crisis, leading to changes in the patient's life, as well as a changed body image.

Aim

The aim of this study was to describe women's experiences of losing a breast because of breast cancer.

Method

A qualitative literature study was performed, based on eight qualitative articles. The articles were found from two different databases, Pub Med and Cinahl and two articles were found unsystematic. All articles were reviewed critically by the author.

Results

The results show two main themes: "How it has been and how it has become" and "The need for processing". The two themes generated six subthemes: "Why me", "The feeling of a loss, something is missing", "To appreciate life", "Caring for oneself and others", "The need to tell and share to be understood" and "Need of support".

Conclusion

The result showed that the women's experiences differed. Most of the women experienced loneliness and loss of femininity. The group of women who did not experienced their body as foreign had support from their family and tried to move on.