Men and cancer: Stigmas of the masculine in illness

Abstract

Cancer is a group of various diseases in which there is disordered cell proliferation, giving rise to abnormal cells. As well as being a life-threatening pathology, it is an unknown disease, which refers to danger, suffering, guilt and pain. Currently, mortality from neoplasms is the third leading cause of death among Brazilian men. Males are distanced from health services, leading to late diagnosis and consequently a more advanced and serious level of neoplasms. Another important aspect revealed by observing the most common types of cancer among men is that sometimes this pathology can affect anatomical parts permeated by taboos, where the most common diagnostic methods share an intimate invasion, a situation that can confront the perceptions established by structural masculinity, thus having a negative impact on the relationship that this individual will establish with the limitations imposed by the disease. To understand the perception of illness for male patients and the impact caused by cancer on their subjective identity. This is an experience report study, which is characterized as a narration of experiences lived in a context, from the author's point of view and understanding. It is a possible method within descriptive research, transmitting knowledge with related scientific support. The influence of the concept of masculinity and patriarchy is deeply ingrained in men, being part of a culture passed down from generation to generation. This culture outlines the roles of both sexes in society, assigning men the responsibility of providing for the family, carrying out jobs that require strength and protection, and suggesting that they don't need care because of their supposed strength and virility. The changes imposed by cancer end up demanding more of these men, such as a reformulation of their self-image and attitudes about themselves, redefining their social roles. It's a call for them to reconstruct their perception of their bodies, re-signifying their own identity. It permeates their social, subjective and sexual understandings and behaviors and the possibility of death itself. The topics explored and the cases reported bring out of the shadows and into the light the reflection on how men are invaded by social norms, considering the model of hegemonic masculinity that totally influences the way these individuals face the experience of cancer, without expiry dates or evolutionary limits, seeing tomorrow as an unpredictable uncertainty.