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Moving Beyond Breast Cancer (DVD/Video)

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Reviewed by: Carolyn Vachani, RN, MSN, AOCN
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: June 15, 2006

Author: National Cancer Institute Publisher: NCI, 2005 Order Information: Free at www.cancer.gov OncoLink Rating:

This 23-minute educational video (available in DVD or VHS format) was developed to help women who are completing breast cancer treatment and entering the post-treatment phase. This can be a particularly difficult time for cancer survivors, as they lose the focus of treatment and the security of frequent doctor's visits. This is often a time when the support of friends and family can drift off, many of whom think that when you are done with treatment, things are back to normal. Well, any survivor can tell you; this is far from the truth.

This video features the stories of several women post treatment. They are real survivors, discussing issues of body changes, emotions, fears, relationships, and new outlooks on life. Now, no video can take away the emotions and feelings survivors deal with, but this one helps the viewers see that they are not alone, and gives them ideas for handling their "new normal". The video also features Dr. Susan Love, a breast cancer surgeon, whose thoughtful insight adds another perspective to these topics. Although the women featured on the video are survivors of breast cancer, this video would be useful for any woman completing cancer treatment.

This helpful video was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Susan G. Komen Foundation and was produced by a group at the UCLA School of Public Health and The Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. It was developed as part of a larger project, which found that women who had the support of a videotape of peers' experiences had quicker recovery of energy during this period of "re-entry" to their lives.

The video is available free of charge form the NCI. To obtain a copy, visit www.cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.