Children and adolescents with cancer are confronted with many challenges. This review considered studies that used qualitative methods to examine the body image experience of children and adolescents with cancer. A systematic literature search of English and Chinese databases was undertaken, covering the period between 1960 and October 2010. Qualitative research findings were extracted and pooled using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument. Eight papers met the inclusion criteria. The derived four metasyntheses included being distanced from the body, loss of self-identity, self-protective strategies and support, and getting rid of the shackles of the body. In conclusion, children and adolescents with cancer also experience various problems associated with changes in their body image. Repeated courses of treatment lead to loss of a normal, orderly life, and might even result in changes in interpersonal interactions. In response to body image change, individuals with cancer develop self-protective, coping strategies. Children and adolescents who experience life-threatening cancer come to face body image change positively, and might hold a confident attitude toward their future.

Clinical guideline suggestions for health professionals working with families of children or adolescent diagnosed with cancer within the first year following the diagnosis were identified. Health professionals must listen to and accept the emotions of shock, anger and loss by the family members who are facing the potential loss of their healthy child together with the upheaval in their lives and disruptions to their plans for the future. Health professionals should be encouraged to provide clear information to the whole family in relation to the treatment plan and caring strategies for the child. Nurses should provide family members with strategies to help with the normalization of their life and a return to their previous pre-cancer lifestyle. The medical team should exhibit professionalism and skills when treating the cancer in order to enhance the child’s and his/her family members’ trust and sense of safety in the medical care environment. Encouraging the family members of children with cancer to develop positive thinking and to plan for their future life should be a priority of the nursing care plan.