{
  "abstract": "Background: Menopausal symptoms after cancer (MSAC) are common and can affect overall quality of life. Cancer survivors experience a variety of symptoms for which they may seek support from healthcare professionals (HCPs). Yet, managing MSAC may be challenging for some HCPs. Therefore, understanding HCPs’ perspectives and challenges in providing MSAC care could help propose solutions to improve care provision.\n\nMethods: Using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, we explored the perspectives and challenges of 20 HCPs from a range of specialties involved in the care of women with MSAC. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a reflexive thematic approach with NVivo v12.\n\nResults: Twenty HCPs aged 37–68 years were interviewed. The sample comprised females (n = 17), with primary care physicians being the largest HCP grouping (n = 6), of whom half were MSAC specialists. Participants’ clinical experience ranged from 1 to 35 years (19.95 ± 9.88), and their experience in managing MSACs ranged from 3 to 35 years (14.25 ± 8.69). Five themes with 10 subthemes were identified: (1) contested view of menopause after cancer; (2) HCPs’ resilience in patient-centred care; (3) multidisciplinary patient care; (4) trial, adaptation, and the search for symptom relief; and (5) care constrained by uncertainty and risk.\n\nConclusion: HCPs recognized the substantial burden of MSAC and have adopted patient-centred care and multidisciplinary approaches. However, the confidence in prescribing menopausal hormone therapy was identified as an area for improvement in clinical practice. For all categories of HCPs, upskilling through targeted education and decision-support tools may improve care.\n\nImplications for Cancer Survivors: For cancer survivors, these findings indicate that HCPs recognise the burden of menopausal symptoms after cancer and that improvements in clinician education, decision‑support tools and clearer referral pathways should translate into timelier, evidence‑informed care (including considered use of MHT where appropriate), better multidisciplinary support and shared decision‑making — all of which aim to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life.\n\nSupplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-026-02042-0.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Rural Clinical School, Department of Rural Health, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Department of Medical Oncology and the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, Centre for Health Services Research in Cancer, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Caring Futures Institute, College of Health and Enablement, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia Australia",
    "Consumer Representative, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Specialty of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Australia",
    "Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia",
    "Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia",
    "Department of Surgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC Australia"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dorcas Serwaa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Shanton Chang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Lewis Gauci"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Michael Jefford"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Carolyn Ee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Martha Hickey"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Kate Rolshoven"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Jennifer L. Marino"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Paul A. Cohen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10,
        11
      ],
      "name": "Christobel Saunders"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Nipuni Susanto"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Michelle Peate"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d7s0c59tqgb1t.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1007/s11764-026-02042-0",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13744453/",
  "id": "d7s0c59tqgb1t",
  "issns": [
    "1932-2259",
    "1932-2267"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-026-02042-0",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2730|Cancer survivorship and care"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7161604560",
  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11764-026-02042-0.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13744453",
  "pmid": "42151700",
  "published": "2026-05-18",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d7s0c59tqgb1t.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-11T12:22:00Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13744453",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-026-02042-0"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2730|Cancer survivorship and care",
      "subfield": "oncology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Managing menopause after cancer: a qualitative analysis of healthcare professionals’ perspectives",
  "title_text": "Managing menopause after cancer: a qualitative analysis of healthcare professionals’ perspectives",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-12T12:20:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d7s0c59tqgb1t",
  "venue": "Journal of Cancer Survivorship",
  "versions": []
}