Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41706236›Full record

SynthesisQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2026

Needs and health-related quality of life domains relevant to people in Europe with advanced cancer in need of palliative care: a systematic review of qualitative research.

Catalina Lizano-Barrantes, Clara Amat-Fernandez, Olatz Garin, Ricardo Luer-Aguila, Yolanda Pardo, Leslye Rojas-Concha, Melissa S Y Thong, Giovanni Apolone, Cinzia Brunelli, Augusto Caraceni and 14 more

Erratum issuedAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 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 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Health-related quality of life domains relevant to people in Europe undergoing cancer treatment: a systematic review of qualitative research.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Quality of Life in CAR-T Cell Therapy.Hematology reports · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

Catalina Lizano-Barrantes *Health Services Research Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1690-631X
Clara Amat-Fernandez *Health Services Research Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9595-0970
Olatz GarinHealth Services Research Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain. ogarin@researchmar.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6193-0779
Ricardo Luer-AguilaHealth Services Research Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-7730-0658
Yolanda PardoHealth Services Research Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4982-5495
Leslye Rojas-ConchaPalliative Care Research Unit, Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine GP, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6814-7426
Melissa S Y ThongUnit of Cancer Survivorship, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6987-705X
Giovanni ApoloneDirezione Scientifica, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5179-104X
Cinzia BrunelliDirezione Scientifica, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3905-1289
Augusto CaraceniDipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e di Comunità, Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2023-2027, Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0375-6204
Norbert CouespelEuropean Cancer Organisation (ECO), Brussels, Belgium.
Nanne BosNetherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel), Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Mogens GroenvoldDepartment of Public Health and Bispebjerg / Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Stein KaasaOslo Universitetssykehus HF, Oslo, Norway.
Gennaro CilibertoIRCCS National Cancer Institute "Regina Elena" (on behalf of Digital institute for cancer outcomes research (DIGICORE), Brussels, Belgium), Rome, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2851-8605
Claudio LombardoOrganization of European Cancer Institutes, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7554-449X
Ricardo PietrobonSporeData OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia.
Gabriella PravettoniIstituto Europeo Di Oncologia IRCCS, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4843-4663
Aude SirvenUnicancer, Paris, France.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-8222-0961
Hugo VachonEuropean Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1259-649X
Alexandra GilbertLeeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9142-1227
Galina VelikovaLeeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1899-5942
Montse FerrerHealth Services Research Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain. mferrer@researchmar.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9867-7391
EUonQoL Working Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThere is a need for a comprehensive summary of qualitative research on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with advanced cancer requiring palliative care. We aim to systematically review qualitative studies on outcomes, needs, experiences, preferences, concerns and HRQoL of people in Europe with advanced cancer requiring palliative care over the last decade.

methodsProtocol registered ( www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO , CRD42024575065). The search was conducted in PubMed and Scopus, from 2013 onward. INCLUSION CRITERIA: qualitative studies addressing constructs related to the HRQoL of adults with cancer requiring palliative care in Europe. Abstracts and full texts were reviewed, data extracted, and risk of bias assessed independently by two researchers. A thematic analysis stratified by study objective was performed, grouping the emerging themes into categories (primary outcome).

resultsOf 18,256 articles identified, 20 fulfilled the inclusion criteria: 10 studies with a generic objective (whole palliative process or end-of-life phase), and 10 with specific focuses. Five categories (35 themes) emerged from the studies with generic focuses: 'Psychological Function' (n = 15), 'Clinical Management' (n = 8), 'Symptoms and Physical Function' (n = 6), 'Social Function' (n = 5), and 'End-of-life' (n = 1). Themes from the 7 studies focusing on treatment, services, and self-management also fitted into these categories, adding 'Spiritual Well-being'.

conclusionThese findings emphasise the predominance of the psychological function domain in cancer patients requiring palliative care, including cancer-related anxiety and distress, coping mechanisms, control and decision-making, and fearing and expecting death. Additionally, clinical management unmet needs were identified in health care, information and communication, and end-of-life settings (home vs. hospital).

Indexed as

Health Services Needs and DemandNeoplasmsPalliative CareQuality of LifeEuropeHumansQualitative ResearchCancerNeoplasmsPalliative careQualitative researchQuality of lifeSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41706236
PMCPMC12916547

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.