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Title.  'Making the best of it': Chinese women's experiences of adjusting to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to describe Chinese women’s experiences of adjusting to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Background.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and its diagnosis and treatment are pivotal life‐changing events that prompt women to make immediate adjustments. Adjustment to breast cancer has been studied as a way of coping with a stressful event and adapting to chronic illness. Adequate adjustment through coping and adaptation leads to successful completion of treatment and improved quality of life.

Method.  A descriptive phenomenological method was used, and 22 Chinese women were interviewed at a large cancer centre in Beijing, China, in 2004–2005.

Findings.  Facing breast cancer, Chinese women tried to ‘make the …