Introduction:

When facing breast cancer, patients and their loving ones experiment many changes in their lives filled with feelings such as fear, anguish, and sadness. In the light of this, the identification of the coping methods used to face breast cancer is crucial to provide a better experience for all those involved.

Objective:

To understand the ways of coping with breast cancer through the discourse of mastectomized women in a support group.

Methodology:

Descriptive research with a qualitative approach carried out with 10 women who participate in a support group, located in a municipality in Paraíba, Brasil. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted and as a methodological process for data analysis, the Collective Subject Discourse was used.

Results:

It was possible to understand three central coping mechanisms: ''Anchoring in faith and spirituality''; ''Family support'', and ''Support group''.

Conclusion:

The study reached its objective of identifying the main ways of coping with breast cancer by women who had mastectomies, their discourse highlighted the importance of faith and spirituality, the support of their families, and their participation in support groups.