The decision-making process for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery: Representations of heterosexual couples in long-standing relationships

Objectives Most people deal with intrusive life events such as cancer and the care trajectory together with their intimate partners. To our knowledge, no research has studied the involvement of the partner in the decision-making process regarding breast reconstruction (BR) after cancer. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of the couples’ decision-making process for BR in the cancer context and particularly to investigate the partners’ involvement in this process. Method Eighteen participants (nine women who underwent a mastectomy following a first breast cancer and their intimate partners) took part in this study. We conducted semidirective interviews, and a general inductive ap…