CC BY-NC 4.0Alsababha, RawanMcDermid, FionaO'Reilly, RebeccaMannix, JudyPeters, Kath2025-10-172025-10-1720242025-05-081043-659610.1177/10436596241259208https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14802/26223Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Arabic women and is often diagnosed in advanced stages, resulting in an increased likelihood of requiring a mastectomy. Despite this, there is a lack of contemporary literature exploring Arabic women’s experiences of breast cancer and its sequelae. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between 2019 and 2022 of Arabic women diagnosed with breast cancer. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clark. Results: Two main themes were identified: (a) Broken yet brave describes participants’ experiences when diagnosed and (b) Making decisions about treatment and experiences of support detailing their lack of decision-making autonomy and perceptions of support. Discussion: Arabic women believe in the concept of fate and faith, and their cultural conditioning is to prioritize family over themselves, often with limited support. They lack autonomy in decision-making due to the patriarchal society they live in.Arabic womenbreast cancermastectomyexperiencesfeminist perspectiveJournal article2-s2.0-85196220150Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open accessOpen38877748PMC11528848PUB0201101800