抄録
Body image disturbance following changes in the physical appearance of cancer survivors leads to psychosocial problems. Although changes in physical appearance may occur in both women and men, relatively little is known about difficulties experienced by male patients. The purposes of this study were to investigate how male cancer patients perceive their physical changes, whether their self-assessment of these changes influences their psychological well-being, and whether their inherent values toward appearance and general beliefs about what men's appearance should be, unique to male patients, impact their psychological well-being. 823 male cancer patients who were medically examined while revisiting an oncology hospital were asked to fill out a questionnaire. This study indicated the relationship between the well-being of men with cancer and their self-evaluation of appearance change caused by cancer treatment. Health care professionals should consider not only objective appearance changes but also subjective appearance changes and the masculinity of patients.
