Supportive Care in Cancer

A Special Issue of Current Oncology (ISSN 1718-7729) belonging to the section "Palliative and Supportive Care".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 473

Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Nursing and Health Research, Ulster University, Belfast, UK
Interests: cancer; end of life; bereavement care
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Nursing and Health Research, Ulster University, Belfast, UK
Interests: post-treatment quality of life issues for patients with head and neck cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Addressing supportive care in cancer is central to the provision of high-quality cancer care across the illness trajectory from diagnosis to end-of-life. This special edition will include a series of publications that addresses psychosocial issues, explores how to improve quality of life to ensure people get the maximum benefit from treatment, enhances communication, integrates evidenced-based rehabilitation approaches, and improves survivorship care. This special edition will highlight factors shaping the cancer experience from the perspectives of patients, carers and health and social care professionals. It will also explore how supportive care in cancer is influenced by social networks, cultural and religious contexts, health literacy, gender identity and structural determinants such as deprivation. The special edition will highlight gaps for clinical practice, policy and education for the provision of cancer care.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Cancers.

Dr. Jeffrey R. Hanna
Prof. Cherith J. Semple
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • supportive care
  • psychosocial
  • cancer
  • intersectionality
  • rehabilitation
  • communication
  • survivorship

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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26 pages, 725 KB  
Systematic Review
Impact of Decision Aids for Shared Decision-Making for Patients with Early Stage Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review
by Serena Sdinami, Lorenzo Conti, Benedetta Capetti, Valeria Sebri, Paola Zagami, Roberto Grasso, Carmen Criscitiello, Giuseppe Curigliano and Gabriella Pravettoni
Curr. Oncol. 2026, 33(9), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol33090518 - 30 Aug 2026
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Abstract
Objectives: To systematically review the evidence on the effectiveness of patient decision aids (PDAs) for women with early stage breast cancer, focusing on decision-making outcomes, psychological variables, and quality of life. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PUBMED, [...] Read more.
Objectives: To systematically review the evidence on the effectiveness of patient decision aids (PDAs) for women with early stage breast cancer, focusing on decision-making outcomes, psychological variables, and quality of life. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. PUBMED, EMBASE and SCOPUS databases were searched to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies evaluating PDAs designed to support treatment decision-making in women with early stage breast cancer. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies. Outcomes of interest included knowledge, decisional conflict, Shared Decision-Making (SDM), anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Special focus has been given to lower Socio-Economic Status (SES) and lower literacy populations. Results: Twenty-six studies (5174 participants) met inclusion criteria. PDAs were associated with reduced decisional conflict (6 of 7 studies), improved satisfaction with the decision or decision-making process (4 studies), and enhanced knowledge (4 of 8 studies showing statistically significant improvement). No consistent adverse effects on anxiety or depression were observed. Ten studies focused on lower SES or low-literacy populations, highlighting the effectiveness of pictorial and simplified PDAs in improving knowledge, SDM, and reducing decisional regret. Qualitative findings indicated high acceptability but identified barriers related to timing and institutional implementation. Conclusions: PDAs for women with early stage breast cancer enhance knowledge and support informed, value-congruent treatment decisions. However, evidence regarding their impact on psychological well-being and long-term quality of life remains inconclusive. Further research should also address institutional implementation policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Supportive Care in Cancer)
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