A (in)visibilidade do corpo atravessado pelo câncer de mama: do diagnóstico à terapêutica

Abstract

Randomly multiplicated, the cancer cells change themselves and change the habitable being – the breast cancer is a pathology that is growing bigger and getting more space in our time and on our senses. The goal in this paper refers to the physical-functional, social and symbolical constitution of the post-diagnostic women, until the treatment and the production of its effects on the breast cancer patients and their physical functions’ senses. Starting from the analysis of oral and functional materials, we try to understand the constitution of the subject through the relation language/cancer, that is, to understand discursively how this subject, involved with the disease, signifies and/or is signified; in which way the disease diagnostic produces new ways of signifying, new organizations of saying, new identification processes and other subjectivation modalities. From the historical context of Discourse Analysis, we situate our paper with two (main) reflections. The first one, on how the cancer acts and the physical-functional transformation process that the clinical treatment suggests. The second reflection is about the discursive process in the phases of the diagnosis to the treatment. The results demonstrate post-surgical procedure’s physical-functional alterations (such as low mobility and loss of muscular strength), which directly influences identification and subjectivation processes in this new woman, now affected by the disease. We also comprehend in these discourses the recognition of physical exercises as support proposal for the treatment and social reintegration mechanism. The knowledge reunited in this paper reinforces the meaning of understanding the peculiarities on each representative treatment for every woman, which is necessary for the professional team to conduct their activities in this context.