ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026
Mapping the unmet supportive care needs of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers: results from a cross-sectional survey.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Delivering online communication skills training for radiation therapists.Technical innovations & patient support in radiation oncology · 2026Article
- Patient Navigation Needs and Quality of Life Among Women with Gynecological Cancer in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCancer imposes a complex psychosocial burden that extends beyond patients in treatment to include survivors and informal caregivers. While the importance of addressing unmet supportive care needs is increasingly acknowledged, comparative data across these interconnected groups remain scarce. This study aims to descriptively assess and compare the unmet supportive care needs of cancer patients undergoing active treatment, survivors, and informal caregivers, identifying both shared and group-specific patterns across key psychosocial and practical domains.
methodsA cross-sectional online survey was completed by 208 individuals (patients, n = 62; survivors, n = 86; caregivers, n = 60) who had accessed services through the Italian League Against Cancer (LILT). Unmet supportive care needs and psychological distress were assessed using validated self-report tools, including measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety, perceived stress, and a visual analog stress thermometer. Data were analyzed descriptively. The overlapping index was used to quantify intergroup differences and similarities.
resultsAmong the unmet-need profiles reported by patients in active treatment and cancer survivors, the smallest overlap emerged in the information and healthcare service needs domain (η = 0.74). Patients reported the highest levels of unmet needs, particularly in the emotional, informational, and practical domains. Survivors showed overall lower unmet needs compared to patients, although they continued to experience challenges in navigating the healthcare system and in the psychological/emotional sphere. Caregivers displayed unmet-need profiles closely mirroring those of patients, with overlap indices above 0.90 across domains, and their main challenges concerned emotional burden, communication, and coordination within the healthcare system.
conclusionsThis study showed distinct patterns of unmet supportive care needs among patients, survivors, and caregivers, with patients reporting the highest unmet needs-particularly emotional, informational, and practical-and caregivers exhibiting profiles closely overlapping those of patients. Present findings support the implementation of integrated, person- and dyad-centered care throughout the cancer continuum. Longitudinal studies are needed to monitor evolving unmet needs and assess dyad-centered intervention models.
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