ABSTRACT
Imagine a group of ten women, all in their 30s and 40s, receiving weekly chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer at the same oncology center. They introduce themselves and, over the course of several weeks, talk about their diagnosis, treatment experiences, and emotional responses to the disease. The women decide to form a support group and start meeting once a month, away from the oncology center. They continue to meet throughout the first year of their illness. Researchers using a case study approach to health communication would argue that there is much to be learned from this single breast cancer support group. How, for example, is a sense of community and shared identity constructed within the group’s communication, given varied diagnoses, treatment plans, and prognoses? How is social support communicated within the group, and what are the impacts of social support for coping? How is uncertainty communicated and managed within the group?
