Abstract
Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer that affects men. Through treatment men have greater life expectancies post-treatment. Men are often faced with distressing side-effects due to the nature of treatment and the location of the prostate. These side-effects can leave men feeling stigmatized both by society and by themselves. There is little research within the South African context on how these side-effects impact men and the constructions of their masculine self-image. In other contexts, overall image that is presented in existing research, is one where men are continuously negotiating masculine ideals and their fear of death. This is evident in their treatment choices and their approaches to the disease itself. Following treatment, the experienced side effects result in a focus on the ideals which the men are still able to perform. This leads to the reformatting of masculinities better reflecting the journey which they have undergone or, otherwise, a cancer survivor's masculinity. The study investigates these phenomena within the South African context through a series of semi-structured open-ended interviews, focusing on the experiences of six men from the West Rand in Johannesburg. In these interviews, the men mentioned that they had not found themselves having a changed sense of masculinity due to their side-effects. However, through the process of thematic analysis, it was found that their behaviour had gradually changed over time, from the dominant hegemonic form of masculinities towards a sense of masculinity that was reflective of the needs and practices of a prostate cancer survivor. This study is part of a growing body of research on men and their masculinities in the face of prostate cancer in South Africa.