Lived experiences of breast cancer survivors at the General Hospital Ilorin Kwara State Northcentral, Nigeria.

Breast cancer is a debilitating disease with severe physical, psychological, social, and financial consequences. A phenomenological approach was used in this study to investigate the lived experience of twenty-one (21) breast cancer survivors who were purposefully chosen until saturation was reached. Tesch's data analysis method was employed. The participants' ages ranged from 30 to 70 years old, with the majority (16 out of 21; 76.2%) diagnosed within the previous two years and many describing the treatment experience as unpleasant and painful, with numerous side effects including nausea, insomnia, sore throat, and hair loss. The majority of participants (16 of 21; 76.2%) reported financial hardship as a result of treatment costs. The disease's socioeconomic impact includes poor human relations, negative perceptions of breast cancer diagnosis, poor sociocultural roles, and negative effects on patients' livelihood. Breast cancer counseling should be expanded, government and other stakeholders should also consider subsidized breast cancer management.

Lived experiences of prostate cancer patients in an urban metropolis in North Central, Nigeria.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is currently the second most prevalent cancer in the world and the most common type of cancer among Nigerian men. This study explored the lived experiences of patients with PCa at the General Hospital in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. A mixed-method design was adopted. Purposive and consecutive sampling techniques were employed to recruit 50 and 10 participants for the quantitative and qualitative aspects respectively. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. All participants were above the age of 50 years, 72% earned about $100 monthly while 68% were diagnosed in less than five years. Majority of the participants utilized adaptive coping styles and also found the strategies moderately helpful while living with the effects of radical prostatectomy. Participants also found the high cost of treatment severely challenging. Government and other stakeholders may need to subsidize the cost of PCa management thereby encouraging early accessibility to care, improved adherence to treatment and also reduce the economic burden of the disease on patients and their families.