PURPOSE
The purpose is to explore the illness experience of Korean women with breast cancer using feminist phenomenology.
METHODS
Data were collected by individual in-depth interviews from ten women with total mastectomy. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method from feminist perspective to reveal implicit socio-cultural norms that oppress women with breast cancer.
RESULTS
Two categories and seven major themes emerged: cancer-related experience (1) unfairness of having breast cancer; (2) being confined to the gaze of the others; patriarchy-related experience (3) hardness of being daughter-in-law; (4) struggling to keep on being good mother; (5) continued housework as duty; (6) recognizing self as precious wife, and (7) awakening of true self. All participants felt it was very unfair to get breast cancer because they had done their best for roles of mother, wife, and daughter-in-law. They struggled to free themselves from the social disgrace like the roles imposed by the patriarchal society. By awakening their true selves, they could manage a balance between other-oriented life and self-oriented life.
CONCLUSION
Oncology nurses need to provide psychosocial support for women with breast cancer in finding their true selves in a traditional patriarchal society where women are oppressed and breast cancer is stigmatized.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to provide nursing intervention with basic data extracted through investigating self-care and nursing of lymphedema in patient who have had a mastectomy.
METHOD
The subjects for this study consisted of 214 mastectomy patients in 2 hospitals. The data were collected from December 1, 2004 to February 28, 2005. The instruments used for this study were both the Self-care Practice Scale by Cho, Myoung-Ok et al.(2003) which we modified and the Nursing Evaluation Scale developed by the researchers.
RESULTS
The mean score of self-care on lymphedema was 59.96+/-12.46. The mean score of nursing was 25.64+/-9.25. Factors influencing the self-care were the postoperative period (F= 17.505, p<.001), the location of the tumor (F= 3.826, p=.023), menstruation (t=7.333, p=.007), and complications (F=5.427, p<.001).
CONCLUSION
Self-care and nursing care on the lymphedema management were shown to be lower than expected. Especially, the score of self-care was the lowest in the more than 3 year postoperative period. Therefore, the longer the postoperative period is, the more active management on lymphedema needs to be. Also, education should be given to both nurses and patients on the importance of self-care on lymphedema with mastectomies.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among perceived health status, self-esteem, self-efficacy and health promoting behavior, and to determine the predictors of health promoting behavior in post-mastectomy patients. The study, a descriptive correlational study, was done with structural questionnaires. A total of 51 post-mastectomy subjects from C university hospital in Kwang-ju, South Korea completed mail-in self-reporting questionnaires during a three month period from March to June, 1999. The data were collected using Lawstone's(1982) perceived health status scale, Rosenberg's(1965) self-esteem scale, the modified self-efficacy scale(Shere et al, 1982), and the modified health promoting lifestyle profile (Walker et al, 1987). The data obtained were analyzed according to percentage, mean and standard deviation, principal component analysis, varimax rotation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. The results were as follows: 1. The health promoting behavior measurement resulted in six factors. Each factor was labelled as follows: self-actualization, nutrition, stress management, exercise, health responsibility and interpersonal support. The total percent of variance explained by the six factors was 58.4%. 2. The mean score of health promoting behavior was 85.92(range 58~117). The scores of six factor were nutrition 3.20, self-actualization 2.59, stress management 2.58, interpersonal support 2.58, health responsibility 2.49, and exercise 2.34 on a four point scale. 3. When the score of health promoting behavior factors were compared by general characteristics. FactorI: self-actualization, differed significantly by the frequency of pregnancy (F=3.06, p=.037). FactorII: nutrition differed significantly by drinking experience(t=-2.26, p=.028) and the pre- or post stage of menopause(F=2.69, p=078). FactorIII: stress management differed significantly depending on regularity of mensturation(t=-2.12, p= .042). FactorIV: exercise differed significantly by type of religion (F=2.49, p=.072), marital status(F=5.03, p=.010), and feeding type (F=2.64, p=.036). FactorV: health responsibility differed significantly by regularity of mensturation(t=2.18, p=.037). 4. The total health promoting behavior score was significantly related to self-esteem and perceived health status(r=.610, p.006; r= .378, p=.006). The score of self-actualization also corresponded with self-esteem and perceived health status(r=.556, p=.001; r=.343, p=.013). 5. The predictor to explain the score of health promoting behavior was self-esteem, which accounted for 37.1% of the total variance. The predictor to explain the score of self-actualization was self-esteem, which accounted for 30.9% of the total variance. The score of nutrition was primarily affected by both premenopause and drinking experience, which accounted for 13.1% and 9.5% respectively. Finally, the score of exercise was dictated by marriage, Buddhism, no experience of breast feeding, which accounted for 17%, 9.8%, & 5.2% respectively. In conclusion, self-esteem is the main predictor for health promoting behavior in post-mastectomy women. These findings suggest a need for nursing strategies which promote self-esteem in such patients.