Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42132971›Full record

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

Health-related quality of life domains relevant to people in Europe undergoing cancer treatment: a systematic review of qualitative research.

Catalina Lizano-Barrantes, Clara Amat-Fernandez, Olatz Garin, Yolanda Pardo, Óscar Périz-Colón, Pablo Notti Saint-Jean, Leslye Rojas-Concha, Melissa Thong, Giovanni Apolone, Cinzia Brunelli and 15 more

Abstract 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. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

25 authors.

Catalina Lizano-BarrantesHealth Services Research Group, Biomedical Research Park, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Office 144, 88 Doctor Aiguader Street, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1690-631X
Clara Amat-FernandezHealth Services Research Group, Biomedical Research Park, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Office 144, 88 Doctor Aiguader Street, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9595-0970
Olatz GarinHealth Services Research Group, Biomedical Research Park, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Office 144, 88 Doctor Aiguader Street, 08003, Barcelona, Spain. ogarin@researchmar.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6193-0779
Yolanda PardoHealth Services Research Group, Biomedical Research Park, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Office 144, 88 Doctor Aiguader Street, 08003, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4982-5495
Óscar Périz-ColónPreventive Medicine and Public Health Training Unit HMar-UPF-ASPB, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-7144-4915
Pablo Notti Saint-JeanPreventive Medicine and Public Health Training Unit HMar-UPF-ASPB, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-3029-8279
Leslye Rojas-ConchaPalliative Care Research Unit, Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine GP, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6814-7426
Melissa ThongUnit of Cancer Survivorship, Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
Giovanni ApoloneScientific Directorate, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori-Milano, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5179-104X
Cinzia BrunelliPalliative Care, Pain Therapy and Rehabilitation Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori-Milano, 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, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Stein KaasaOslo Universitetssykehus HF, Oslo, Norway.
Gennaro CilibertoIRCCS National Cancer Institute "Regina Elena" Rome, Italy (on behalf of Digital Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (DIGICORE), Brussels, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2851-8605
Claudio LombardoOrganisation 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, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9142-1227
Galina VelikovaLeeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1899-5942
Montse FerrerHealth Services Research Group, Biomedical Research Park, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Office 144, 88 Doctor Aiguader Street, 08003, Barcelona, Spain. mferrer@researchmar.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9867-7391
EUonQoL Working Group

Funding

Departament d'Innovació, Universitats i Empresa, Generalitat de Catalunya AGAUR 2021 SGR 00624Departament d'Innovació, Universitats i Empresa, Generalitat de Catalunya AGAUR-FI Joan Oró FI-2 00266European Union HORIZON-MISS-2021-CANCER-02 101096362-EUonQoL
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo identify and synthesize evidence from European qualitative studies on cancer-related quality of life outcomes, needs, experiences, preferences, and concerns of people undergoing cancer treatment in the last decade.

methodsSystematic review ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO , CRD42024575065) of European studies using qualitative methodology, assessing constructs related to HRQoL, and involving adults receiving cancer treatment. The search was performed in PubMed and Scopus from January 2013 to July 2024. Titles, abstracts, and full texts screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were conducted independently by two researchers. The main outcomes were the themes reported in each study. The thematic analysis was performed by organizing the themes of the studies into categories.

resultsOut of 18,256 articles initially identified, 36 met the inclusion criteria: 21 with generic and 15 with specific objectives. Five categories encompassing 110 themes were identified from the generic studies: Psychological Function (n = 41), Clinical Management (n = 26), Symptoms and Physical Function (n = 18), Social Function (n = 16), and Life Disruption (n = 9). Eleven studies with specific objectives focused on clinical management with all their themes fitting within the categories identified in the generic studies.

conclusionsResults showed the predominance of psychological function and clinical management themes. Symptoms and physical function, social function, and life disruption maintained their importance within the classical HRQoL framework. The emergence of clinical management is consistent with the growing patient-centered care approach, suggesting the need to integrate this content into the evaluation of patients undergoing cancer treatment. LIMITATIONS: most European countries were not represented, and publication bias could hide traditional domains.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsQuality of LifeEuropeHumansQualitative ResearchCancer patientsQualitative researchQuality of lifeSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID42132971
PMCPMC13176008

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.