Health-related quality of life domains relevant to people in Europe undergoing cancer treatment: a systematic review of qualitative research

Purpose To identify and synthesize evidence from European qualitative studies on cancer-related quality of life outcomes, needs, experiences, preferences, and concerns of people undergoing cancer treatment in the last decade.

Methods Systematic review (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, CRD42024575065) of European studies using qualitative methodology, assessing constructs related to HRQoL, and involving adults receiving cancer treatment. The search was performed in PubMed and Scopus from January 2013 to July 2024. Titles, abstracts, and full texts screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were conducted independently by two researchers. The main outcomes were the themes reported in each study. The thematic analysis was performed by organizing the themes of the studies into categories.

Results Out of 18,256 articles initially identified, 36 met the inclusion criteria: 21 with generic and 15 with specific objectives. Five categories encompassing 110 themes were identified from the generic studies: Psychological Function (n = 41), Clinical Management (n = 26), Symptoms and Physical Function (n = 18), Social Function (n = 16), and Life Disruption (n = 9). Eleven studies with specific objectives focused on clinical management with all their themes fitting within the categories identified in the generic studies.

Conclusions Results showed the predominance of psychological function and clinical management themes. Symptoms and physical function, social function, and life disruption maintained their importance within the classical HRQoL framework. The emergence of clinical management is consistent with the growing patient-centered care approach, suggesting the need to integrate this content into the evaluation of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Limitations: most European countries were not represented, and publication bias could hide traditional domains.