ArticleThe oncologist2025
A scoping review of clinical communication in cancer care in Africa.
Article in The oncologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Adaptation of a Serious Illness Communication Training Intervention for the Rwandan Context.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2026Article
- "…it is not the sickness itself that kills. It is the emotional trauma": a qualitative study of the lived experience and systemic barriers of women with breast cancer in Nigeria.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Communication and information needs of patients with cancer in Ghana: A scoping review.PloS one · 2026Article
- Setting the stage for communication skills training in Rwandan cancer care: a qualitative study of local priorities and key contextual factors.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Barriers and facilitators of psychosocial service provision for patients with cancer across six hospitals in Ethiopia: a qualitative study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Addressing the cancer burden in LMICs: the potential of modulated electro-hyperthermia.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCancer care involves disclosing difficult information, making treatment decisions, and advance care planning. Communication practices and preferences are strongly influenced by sociocultural context. This scoping review aims to identify, map, and appraise the available evidence on clinical communication in cancer care in Africa and recommend priorities for future work.
methodsA search strategy was developed to identify studies conducted in Africa with a primary focus on patient-clinician communication in cancer care and performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, African Index Medicus, and PsycINFO. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, full texts, and cited references. Study characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Critical appraisal was performed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.
resultsOur search yielded 58 articles from 19 countries. Study designs were quantitative survey (53%), qualitative (38%), non-randomized experimental (5%), and mixed methods (3%), with no randomized trials. Populations included patients with cancer (n = 25), doctors (n = 24), nurses (n = 16), family/caregivers (n = 16), and/or others. Seven studies (12%) focused on pediatrics. Most studies (60%) focused on clinicians' disclosure of information, often framed as "breaking bad news" or "truth-telling." The remainder focused on information preferences (14%), advance care planning (10%), illness understanding (5%), shared decision making (5%), and communication training (3%). Critical appraisal demonstrated higher quality among qualitative than quantitative studies.
conclusionsFuture work should explore underexamined research areas such as patient-centered communication, translate observational findings into intervention development and testing, implement communication skills training, and evaluate outcomes related to communication in cancer care in Africa.
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