Iran Journal of Nursing

 Breast cancer is a very popular neoplastic disorder. In Iran, 7347 new cases have been reported by the year 2000. Support is a prominent need of any one who suffers from this disease.

  Determination of the needs of women with breast cancer, a descriptive study was carried out in some hospitals of Tehran. In this study needs were sorted by priorities, meanwhile, some variables such as age, marital status, types of treatment and the duration of disease were considered as well. 200 patient, all were under treatment within 5 years took part in this study.

  Findings revealed that those, between the ages of 21 to 75 emphasized on their treatments, future lives, friends and families as their important needs, but married women said that their friends, family and future lives were their prominent needs respectively. Women, who were gone under mastectomy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, mentioned that their relation with friends is their most important need. Furthermore, significant relations were found between mentioned needs from the point of their priorities. Also factors such as age, marital status, duration of the disease and etc, did not interfere with the type of the needs.

  It can be concluded that all participants were worried about, future life, diagnosis, treatment, support system, information, femininity and body image, respectively.

  So, it is suggested that health team members specially nurses pay their special attention to women suffering breast cancer and provide them with good assessment, proper education and care.