Report on the perception of women survivors of breast cancer about self-care

Objective: to understand the perception of women survivors of breast cancer about self-care and its barriers or facilitators. Method: qualitative study, in which ten women who underwent surgery for breast cancer participated, carried out from May to September 2018, in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Bardin’s Content Analysis, originating the category “Autocuidado: motivação para a vida“. Results: given the effects of the treatments, the women reported facing a readaptation process, in which they develop coping strategies based on the motivational factors provided by the support network, encouraging the performance of self-care practices. Conclusion: although therapies for breast cancer bring negative impacts on women’s lives, they tend to reframe their vision of health care and strengthen affective bonds, fundamental elements for motivation for self-care and continuity in the trajectory of combating cancer