Prostate Cancer, Radical Prostatectomy, Recovery, and Survivorship: A Narrative Study of How Men Make Sense of a Cancer Diagnosis

Prostate cancer invariably impacts men’s health and well-being and remains the most common male cancer. This study explored how men with prostate cancer who were scheduled for radical prostatectomy made sense of their cancer diagnosis. A narrative analysis was performed of 18 men’s life stories at three different time points: preoperatively (n = 13), three months postoperatively (n = 10), and six to nine months postoperatively (n = 11). In total, 34 interviews were undertaken in Ireland to examine how men talked over time. Riessman’s narrative analytic technique and structural and thematic analysis were used as the analytic framework. The following four themes emerged which reflected how men made sense of their prostate cancer diagnosis: seeking coherence, connecting through collective masculinity, rejecting a survivorship identity, and positioning prostate cancer. Seeking coherence was evident in the preoperative phase whilst the other three themes emerged in both postoperative time points. Whilst the experience of prostate cancer was an individualised one, masculine identity and narrative positioning underpinned every aspect of men’s accounts. Subscription to and expression of a masculine identity underpinned all aspects of the men’s narratives. In conclusion, it is recommended that care interventions targeted towards meeting the unmet needs of this group account for this highly masculinised experience. Appropriately sequenced information and support which is gender sensitive to individualised and collective identity expression is crucial. Acknowledgment of masculinised language is also recommended for men’s individual and collective recovery from this life-altering experience.