{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,29]],"date-time":"2026-10-29T17:28:40Z","timestamp":1793294920372,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,1]],"date-time":"2023-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1693526400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100011715","name":"Macmillan Cancer Support","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["6375372"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["6375372"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100011715","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001318","name":"University of the West of England","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001318","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To explore cancer survivors\u2019 experiences of living with chronic pain after curative cancer treatment in England, UK.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A qualitative study using telephone interviews with adult cancer survivors experiencing chronic pain after curative cancer treatment. Interview data was analysed using a reflexive thematic approach [1\u20133].<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Nineteen participants: 14 female, 5 male, mean age 62.4 years, 1.5\u201348 years since cancer diagnosis, eight tumour groups represented. Six participants (31.6%) developed chronic pain more than ten years after completing cancer treatment (range 0\u201325 years). Five themes were generated which highlighted the experience of chronic pain after cancer treatment for cancer survivors: 1) \u2018Hear me\u2026 believe me\u2026. Please\u2019. Survivors felt that they had not been listened to when they tried to talk about their chronic pain after cancer treatment, nor at times, believed. 2) \u2018Expectation versus reality\u2019. Survivors had anticipated returning to pre cancer quality of life yet living in chronic pain prevented them from doing so. 3) \u2018They don\u2019t understand\u2026. We don\u2019t understand\u2019. Cancer survivors did not feel informed or prepared for the risk or reality of chronic pain after cancer treatment and this compounded the difficulties of coping with and managing their pain. They felt health care professionals lacked knowledge and understanding of chronic pain after cancer. 4) \u2018Negotiating the maze\u2019. Cancer survivors encountered unclear and limited pathways for support, often bouncing from one support team to another. Identifying and accessing services was a challenge, and the responsibility of this was often left to the survivor. 5) \u2018Validate my pain, validate me\u2019. Palpable relief and benefit was felt when health care professionals diagnosed and acknowledged their chronic pain after cancer treatment.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Cancer survivors can feel ill prepared for the risk of chronic pain after cancer treatment and can experience challenges accessing support from healthcare professionals and clinical services.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0290967","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,1]],"date-time":"2023-09-01T17:25:14Z","timestamp":1693589114000},"page":"e0290967","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["\u2018I think it affects every aspect of my life, really\u2019: Cancer survivors\u2019 experience of living with chronic pain after curative cancer treatment in England, UK"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7934-5022","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Julie","family":"Armoogum","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claire","family":"Foster","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8769-832X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alison","family":"Llewellyn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4285-5678","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Diana","family":"Harcourt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Candida","family":"McCabe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0290967.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-69909-7_3470-2","volume-title":"Thematic analysis: a practical guide","author":"V Braun","year":"2022"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0290967.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.1080\/14780887.2020.1769238","article-title":"One size fits all? 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