From Ageing to Waiting: Cancer as a Second Biographical Rupture in Later Life

Older adults are most affected by cancer, yet their psychosocial experiences remain undertheorized in gerontological oncology. Using Bury's biographical disruption as a sensitizing concept, this qualitative study develops the notion of "second biographical rupture" to examine how cancer emerges as an additional existential and relational rupture within an already transformative ageing process. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 older adults receiving oncology care in Türkiye. Reflexive thematic analysis showed cancer reshaping identity, autonomy, daily routines, caregiving relationships, and perceptions of dignity, dependency, and social worth. Participants described a transition from "ageing" to "waiting," marked by suspended futures, heightened mortality awareness, social isolation, and greater reliance on family caregivers, articulating experiences from a later-life position, centred on fear of dependency and a narrowed temporal horizon. Alongside loss and dependency, some reported self-redefinition and renewed self-worth. The findings reveal critical gaps in psychosocial support, care coordination, and age-responsive geriatric oncology services.