Surviving cancer can lead to self-perceived beneficial changes and personal growth, commonly referred to as posttraumatic growth. However, the survivorship experience of men following cancer remains understudied. Thus, our objective was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of men's perceptions of the changes in their lives following cancer. Twenty-four Israeli men who completed cancer treatment participated in five focus group meetings. Data analysis was performed using the thematic analysis method. Four themes were identified pertaining to both positive and negative changes in the men's lives following cancer: 1) negative manifestations of cancer survivorship; 2) changes in perceptions of life; 3) changes in perceptions of self; and 4) putting changes into action. Whereas earlier research indicated a minimal impact of cancer on men survivors' lives, this study demonstrates multidimensional changes in the lives of such men. Findings revealed a dialectic post-cancer experience that consisted of negative manifestations of cancer survivorship co-existing with positive developments in different aspects of the men's lives. Additionally, prioritizing one's self was a novel finding of the current study.

中文翻译：

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“在深渊边缘跳舞”：男性癌症幸存者的创伤后成长

幸存的癌症可以导致自我感知的有益变化和个人成长，通常称为创伤后成长。然而，男性癌症后的生存经历仍未得到充分研究。因此，我们的目标是全面了解男性对癌症后生活变化的看法。完成癌症治疗的 24 名以色列男性参加了五次焦点小组会议。采用主题分析法进行数据分析。确定了与癌症后男性生活的积极和消极变化有关的四个主题：1）癌症生存的消极表现； 2）生活观念的改变； 3）自我认知的改变； 4) 将变革付诸行动。虽然早期的研究表明癌症对男性幸存者的生活影响很小，但这项研究表明这些男性的生活发生了多维的变化。研究结果揭示了一种辩证的癌症后经历，其中包括癌症生存的负面表现与男性生活不同方面的积极发展并存。此外，优先考虑自己是当前研究的一个新发现。