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Advancing Quality of Life Research in Cancer Survivors: Methodologies, Instruments,...
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Advancing Quality of Life Research in Cancer Survivors: Methodologies, Instruments, and Practical Applications

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 3756

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Peizhong Peter Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Division of Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6, Canada
2. Centre for New Immigrant Wellbeing, Markham, ON L3R 9V1, Canada
3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Interests: cancer epidemiology; COVID-19; arthritis and disability epidemiology; immigrants health; nutritional epidemiology; statistics modeling; hepatitis epidemiology; quality of life; survey methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quality of Life (QoL) has become a prominent issue in fields such as clinical medicine, health services, social science, and outcomes research. In cancer care, QoL assessments go beyond survival rates and reflect the broader impacts of cancer on patients' physical, emotional, and social well-being. This Special Issue aims to reflect the latest advancements in this field, providing insights into how QoL metrics can enhance patient care and healthcare outcomes.

We welcome high-quality research articles, theoretical discussions, and methodological reports related to Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in cancer survivors. This Special Issue will address various aspects of the field, including the development and validation of new instruments in diverse populations, patient-oriented research, and site-specific cancer explorations. We particularly welcome the submission of papers that address the QoL aspects of treatment, care, and rehabilitation, reflecting the extensive application of HRQL assessments in healthcare.

In addition to original research, we welcome the submission of review papers, editorials, and educational articles that offer guidance for junior researchers and practitioners. This Special Issue seeks to contribute to the field by offering cutting-edge insights that are applicable across the biological and social sciences.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Peizhong Peter Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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.

Publisher’s Notice

At the request of Dr. Weili Xu, a member of the original Guest Editor team for the Special Issue “Advancing Quality of Life Research in Cancer Survivors: Methodologies, Instruments, and Practical Applications”, she will no longer be involved in the editorial handling of the Special Issue as of 8 May 2026. This change has been agreed upon by the remaining Guest Editor and the Editorial Office, and the Special Issue website has been updated accordingly. The Special Issue will continue to be handled by the remaining Guest Editor in accordance with MDPI’s Special Issue and editorial policies.

Keywords

  • cancer survivors
  • quality of life (QoL)
  • health-related quality of life (HRQL)
  • patient-reported outcomes
  • psychosocial factors
  • cancer care and rehabilitation
  • instrument validation
  • methodological approaches
  • survivorship care
  • health disparities

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 798 KB  
Article
Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine for Breast Cancer Patients with Depression—Association with Survival and Healthcare Utilization: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study in Taiwan
by Chingying Liang, Yen-Chun Huang, Jiun-Liang Chen, Chi Wen Chen and Mingchih Chen
Healthcare 2026, 14(10), 1406; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14101406 - 20 May 2026
Viewed by 268
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors frequently experience depression, which is associated with poorer quality of life (QoL), increased healthcare utilization, and worse prognosis. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used as an adjunctive therapy among Chinese populations for cancer-related symptom relief [...] Read more.
Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors frequently experience depression, which is associated with poorer quality of life (QoL), increased healthcare utilization, and worse prognosis. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used as an adjunctive therapy among Chinese populations for cancer-related symptom relief and supportive care, population-based evidence remains limited regarding whether integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) confers measurable benefits over Western medicine (WM) alone in terms of healthcare utilization and survival. Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) system offers a unique nationwide setting to address this gap because it reimburses patients for both WM and TCM services and captures care from a large number of TCM clinics across Taiwan, allowing evaluation of adjunctive TCM use in routine clinical practice at a scale rarely possible in prior studies. We used emergency department visits, hospitalization, and length of stay as pragmatic proxy indicators of patients’ daily functioning and disease burden. Leveraging a 10-year enrollment window (2004–2013) and up to 17 years of follow-up, we hypothesized that ICWM would be associated with a reduced risk of acute care events and lower healthcare expenditures compared with WM alone. This hypothesis was examined in a large cohort of breast cancer patients treated across nearly 4000 medical facilities nationwide, encompassing the entire Taiwanese population. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed to analyze Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database and Cancer Registry. Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer between 2004 and 2013 who subsequently developed depression (≥3 outpatient diagnoses or 1 hospitalization) were followed until death or 31 December 2021. Patients receiving ≥30 cumulative days of TCM after diagnosis were classified as the ICWM group, whereas those receiving <30 days were classified as the WM group. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for all-cause mortality. Healthcare utilization, including emergency department visits, hospitalization, and medical expenditures, was analyzed on a per-person-year basis. Results: A total of 1193 patients were included, with 488 in the WM group and 705 in the ICWM group. Compared with WM users, ICWM users were younger, had lower body mass index, and were more likely to have stage 0–II disease. ICWM was associated with lower total, inpatient, and emergency healthcare expenditures per person-year, as well as fewer emergency visits per person-year, although outpatient and overall visits were higher. In stage-stratified multivariable analyses, ICWM was associated with lower all-cause mortality in both stage 0–II disease (aHR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.94) and stage III–IV disease (aHR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.21–0.67). Kaplan–Meier analyses likewise showed significantly better overall survival in the ICWM group in both early-stage and advanced-stage disease. Conclusions: In this nationwide retrospective cohort of breast cancer patients with depression, adjunctive ICWM was associated with better survival, lower acute care utilization, and lower healthcare expenditures compared with WM alone. However, because quality of life was not directly measured and the study was based on observational data, QoL-related interpretations should be made cautiously, with healthcare utilization outcomes viewed as indirect proxy indicators rather than direct evidence of improved daily QoL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Quality of Life Research in Cancer Survivors: Methodologies, Instruments, and Practical Applications)
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Review

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29 pages, 643 KB  
Review
Psychological Distress and Quality of Life in Patients with Laryngeal Cancer: A Review
by Maria Octavia Murariu, Eugen Radu Boia, Adrian Mihail Sitaru, Cristian Ion Mot, Mihaela Cristina Negru, Alexandru Cristian Brici, Delia Elena Zahoi and Nicolae Constantin Balica
Healthcare 2025, 13(13), 1552; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13131552 - 29 Jun 2025
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2657
Abstract
Laryngeal cancer significantly affects not only survival but also core functions such as speech, swallowing, and breathing. These impairments often result in substantial psychological distress and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This review aims to synthesize current evidence regarding the psychological impact, [...] Read more.
Laryngeal cancer significantly affects not only survival but also core functions such as speech, swallowing, and breathing. These impairments often result in substantial psychological distress and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This review aims to synthesize current evidence regarding the psychological impact, quality of life outcomes, and system-level challenges faced by laryngeal cancer patients while identifying strategies for integrated survivorship care. Anxiety and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among laryngeal cancer patients, particularly those undergoing total laryngectomy or chemoradiotherapy. HRQoL outcomes vary significantly depending on treatment modality, with long-term deficits noted in domains such as voice, swallowing, and emotional well-being. Access to psychological support and rehabilitation remains inconsistent, hindered by institutional, socioeconomic, and cultural barriers. Structured survivorship models, psychological screening, and patient-centered rehabilitation have demonstrated benefits but are not universally implemented. Comprehensive care for laryngeal cancer must extend beyond tumor control to address persistent functional and psychological sequelae. A multidisciplinary, anticipatory, and personalized approach—centered on integrated rehabilitation and mental health support—is essential to optimize survivorship outcomes and improve long-term quality of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Quality of Life Research in Cancer Survivors: Methodologies, Instruments, and Practical Applications)
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