Users' Experience of Being Treated for Malignant Neoplasms in the Brazilian Public Health System: A Phenomenological Approach

Background: Cancer represents a significant public health concern, accounting for a considerable number of deaths and reducing life expectancy on a global scale. In order to facilitate an early diagnosis, countries have enacted legislation with time goals for access to treatment, advocating for the interval between access to various services. Objective: To explore the experiences of users of the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) in accessing treatment for malignant neoplasms. Methods: This is a qualitative study employing Alfred Schütz's phenomenological approach to elucidate the social dimensions of human action. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 26 patients diagnosed with malignant neoplasms within the health microregion of central-western São Paulo state, Brazil. Results: The experiences were shown to fall into four categories: (A) Awakening to signs and symptoms associated with cancer, (B) Facing difficulties in accessing the Health Care Network quickly for cancer diagnosis and treatment (C) Looking for other ways to diagnose and treat cancer. Conclusions: The study findings indicated deficiencies in the Brazilian public healthcare system for patients with neoplasms. It was concluded that there is a need to review national health policies and improve the referral and counter-referral system in order to foster faster and more effective care for patients with malignant neoplasms.