Despite significant medical advances in recent decades, many cancers still require aggressive treatments in order to prevent their metastasis and improve the survival chances of those affected. The aggressive nature of these treatments can often lead to significant changes to an individual’s body. This may include surgical scars or removal of individual body parts, changes to the sensory function and/or appearance of the body arising from radiation therapy and a range of bodily-related consequences associated with chemotherapies such as loss of hair and anorexia. These changes often result in negative impacts on cancer survivors’ perceptions, thoughts and feelings about their bodies (also known as their body image).
Body image is recognized as a complex and multidimensional psychological construct, which is associated with a myriad of clinical, demographic, behavioral, functional, and psychosocial variables. In the context of cancer treatment, negative body image has been associated with lower quality of life, reduced self-management behaviors, greater degrees of social isolation and increased risk of emotional distress in relation to specific cancers. Although our understanding of such issues has increased in recent years, there is growing recognition of the need for a more nuanced understanding of the complex inter-relationship between body image and clinical, demographic, functional and psychosocial variables and a greater understanding of how body image interacts with these variables longitudinally. There is also growing recognition of the need for more standardized approaches to body image screening and measurement and interventions to ameliorate the deleterious effects of cancer treatment on body image and enhance quality of life and well-being in cancer survivors. Further research is also required to understand the experience of living with a changed body following cancer treatment.
We are seeking quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research papers, as well as theoretical papers and reviews of the literature that address body image and body image concerns following cancer treatment. Specific themes which we would welcome include papers which explore multidimensional and/or longitudinal aspects of body image in cancer survivorship, evaluate body image interventions or treatments for cancer survivors or explore issues relating to body image measurement/screening following cancer treatment. For the purpose of this Research Topic, we will consider various definitions of body image and body image concerns, including but not limited to body image disturbance, body image modification, body image dissatisfaction and body apperception.
Despite significant medical advances in recent decades, many cancers still require aggressive treatments in order to prevent their metastasis and improve the survival chances of those affected. The aggressive nature of these treatments can often lead to significant changes to an individual’s body. This may include surgical scars or removal of individual body parts, changes to the sensory function and/or appearance of the body arising from radiation therapy and a range of bodily-related consequences associated with chemotherapies such as loss of hair and anorexia. These changes often result in negative impacts on cancer survivors’ perceptions, thoughts and feelings about their bodies (also known as their body image).
Body image is recognized as a complex and multidimensional psychological construct, which is associated with a myriad of clinical, demographic, behavioral, functional, and psychosocial variables. In the context of cancer treatment, negative body image has been associated with lower quality of life, reduced self-management behaviors, greater degrees of social isolation and increased risk of emotional distress in relation to specific cancers. Although our understanding of such issues has increased in recent years, there is growing recognition of the need for a more nuanced understanding of the complex inter-relationship between body image and clinical, demographic, functional and psychosocial variables and a greater understanding of how body image interacts with these variables longitudinally. There is also growing recognition of the need for more standardized approaches to body image screening and measurement and interventions to ameliorate the deleterious effects of cancer treatment on body image and enhance quality of life and well-being in cancer survivors. Further research is also required to understand the experience of living with a changed body following cancer treatment.
We are seeking quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research papers, as well as theoretical papers and reviews of the literature that address body image and body image concerns following cancer treatment. Specific themes which we would welcome include papers which explore multidimensional and/or longitudinal aspects of body image in cancer survivorship, evaluate body image interventions or treatments for cancer survivors or explore issues relating to body image measurement/screening following cancer treatment. For the purpose of this Research Topic, we will consider various definitions of body image and body image concerns, including but not limited to body image disturbance, body image modification, body image dissatisfaction and body apperception.
