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Qualitative Analysis of Cancer Patients' Experiences Using Donated Human Milk

Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara, California, ragbiter{at}att.net

Pauline Sakamoto, MS, PHN, RN

Mother's Milk Bank at Valley Medical Center, San Jose, California

Caroline H. Fee, MA

Department of Nutrition and Food Science at San Jose State University

Clarie B. Hollenbeck, PhD

Department of Nutrition and Food Science at San Jose State University

This represents the first published account from the patient's perspective of the use of human milk as cancer therapy. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 10 participants. Five were patients and 5 were family proxies. Individual interviews were conducted using confirmatory interviewing technique to obtain individual perspectives on the motivation for cancer patients to take donated human milk. Human milk therapy improved the quality of life (QOL) measures in the physical, psychological, and spiritual domains for most patients interviewed. The patients continued their use of human milk despite cost, taste, and discouragement from the conventional medical community. The study results support the theory that QOL may be more important to cancer patients than cancer outcomes and may improve patient medical care overall. These interviews offer information to cancer patients, their practitioners, and donor milk banks on outcomes and symptom relief from this therapy. J Hum Lact. 25(2):211-219

Key Words: cancer • human milk • donor milk banking • research • quality of life

Journal of Human Lactation, Vol. 25, No. 2, 211-219 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0890334409333422


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