A purposive sample of women who had developed breast or trunk lymphoedema following treatment for breast cancer was chosen, to target individuals who had insight into the research topic. Women who had undergone either breast-conserving surgery or a mastectomy were both represented in the sample, allowing for an exploration of women's experiences of breast and trunk (including chest wall) lymphoedema. The dataset represents interviews with fourteen women. Participants were invited to bring to their interview images which reflected their experiences of developing or living with breast or trunk lymphoedema; however, this was not a requirement for participation.

The study was underpinned by a conceptual framework known as The Silences Framework (Serrant-Green 2011) which provides a lens through which to understand marginalised or sensitive issues. The Voice-Centred Relational Method and its analytical tool the Listening Guide (Gilligan & Eddy 2017) was used for data analysis.  

Gilligan, C., & Eddy, J. (2017). Listening as a path to psychological discovery: An introduction to the Listening Guide. Perspectives on Medical Education, 6(2), 76–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-017-0335-3

Serrant-Green, L. (2011). The sound of ‘silence’: A framework for researching sensitive issues or marginalised perspectives in health. Journal of Research in Nursing, 16(4), 347–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987110387741