Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39680303›Full record

ArticleJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2026

Living well with advanced cancer: a scoping review of non-pharmacological supportive care interventions.

Brinda Kumar, Moe Thet Htaa, Kim Kerin-Ayres, Andrea L Smith, Judith Lacey, Sarah Bishop Browne, Suzanne Grant

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Brinda KumarSchool of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia.
Moe Thet HtaaSchool of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia.
Kim Kerin-AyresSupportive Care and Integrative Oncology, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Andrea L SmithThe Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia. andrea.smith@sydney.edu.au.
Judith LaceySchool of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia.
Sarah Bishop BrowneSchool of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia.
Suzanne GrantSupportive Care and Integrative Oncology, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe increasing number of people living longer with advanced cancer presents unique physical, psychosocial, financial, legal, practical and complex care needs. Supportive care interventions aim to address these needs by improving symptom management, promoting wellbeing, enhancing quality of life and potentially improving prognosis. To integrate supportive care interventions into clinical practice, a comprehensive review of existing studies is needed. This scoping review maps the evidence on non-pharmacological supportive care interventions for people with advanced cancer and identifies gaps to inform future research.

methodsWe systematically searched four electronic databases-CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane and PsycINFO-for peer-reviewed original research on non-pharmacological supportive care interventions for adults with advanced cancer, published from January 1, 2013, to July 1, 2024.

resultsOut of 3716 studies, 84 publications met the inclusion criteria. These studies were categorised into key supportive care domains: physical activity, psychosocial support, patient care and autonomy, multimodal approaches and others. Most publications focused on interventions addressing physical and psychosocial needs, showing benefits such as reduced fatigue, pain and improved mood. However, significant gaps were found in research on interventions addressing practical needs essential to autonomy, including health system and information needs, patient care and support and financial needs.

conclusionMapping the studies to the needs of the advanced cancer population showed that domains with greatest unmet needs have the fewest interventions available. Our scoping review suggests that non-pharmacological supportive care interventions can improve the wellbeing and quality of life of people living with advanced cancer. However, addressing methodological limitations requires further large-scale, multi-centre studies focusing on the identified gaps to inform the implementation of suitable supportive care programs. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Non-pharmacological interventions can boost wellbeing and quality of life for advanced cancer survivors, but addressing gaps in practical and systemic support is crucial.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPalliative CareQuality of LifeHumansSocial SupportAdvanced cancerCancer survivorshipMetastatic cancerSupportive care

Identifiers

PMID39680303
PMCPMC13144243

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.