ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to articulate coping strategies employed by patients diagnosed and living with cancer from the perspective of Transitoriness within the theory The Omnipresence of Cancer. A cancer diagnosis remains an abrupt event in people’s lives. People are faced with the diagnosis itself and its influence on daily life and the future. The cancer diagnosis is often followed by a rigorous treatment regimen. For people concerned, the outcomes of this treatment regimen is not always clear (Da Rocha et al., 2014). Due to the cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, people concerned experience side effects and symptoms, which sometimes necessitate lay or professional care (Gaillard Desmedt, 2013). Cancer patients are asked to find ways of dealing with the disease and its manifestations. Coping constitutes an important aspect of living with cancer daily. Based on the findings of two studies that were conducted in cancer centres in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, the most frequently employed coping strategies are presented (Cudre, 2016). The study findings have been integrated into the theory The Omnipresence of Cancer. Recommendations for practice are proposed.
