Systematic review of the needs and health-related quality of life domains relevant to people surviving cancer in Europe

Purpose

To systematically review qualitative studies on outcomes, needs, experiences, preferences, concerns and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people surviving cancer in Europe in the last decade.

Methods

Protocol registered (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, ID575065). Inclusion criteria: studies with qualitative methods, constructs related to HRQoL, and adults surviving cancer in Europe. The search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus since 2013. Abstracts and full text were revised, data extracted and study risk of bias assessed independently by two researchers. The primary outcomes were the themes arising from each study. A thematic analysis stratified according to the study objective was undertaken by grouping themes into categories.

Results

Of 18,256 articles identified, 43 fulfilled the inclusion criteria: 16 studies with a generic objective and 27 with specific objectives. Seven categories (57 themes) emerged from the studies with a generic focus: Clinical Management (n = 16), Symptoms and Physical Function (n = 5), Psychological Function (n = 21), Social Function (n = 18), HRQoL (n = 3), Life Disruption (n = 6), and Individual Factors (n = 1). The 12 studies focused on treatment and care experiences stand out among those with specific objectives, with most themes fitting into the same seven categories.

Conclusions

Results clearly showed the predominance of the social and psychological function domains over physical domains among people surviving cancer, additionally identifying specific needs in clinical management, such as information and communication, and relationship with and support from professionals. Therefore, these aspects should be incorporated into the evaluation of patient-centred initiatives for people surviving cancer. Limitations: only two databases were searched, and most European countries were not represented.