Unmet supportive care needs of patients with breast cancer: A systematic review

Abstract

Background Growing breast cancer patients increases the demand for unmet needs. Few research has focused on any systematic research into unmet need among these groups. This aim is to clarify major elements of unmet needs and factors influencing in order to provide a basis for provision of appropriate medical services. Method A throughout search was conducted in Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline from inception through December 2022. Studies investigated unmet supportive care needs of patients with breast cancer were included. Two independent researchers extracted the data, evaluated the quality of eligible studies, and performed double-checks. Methodological quality was independently appraised by two authors in accordance with JBI critical appraisal tools. Content analytic approach was applied to narrative synthesis. For quantitative studies, the meta-analysis was also performed to pool the proportions through Review Manager Software. Results Our present review identified 63 studies evidencing the unmet needs of patients with breast cancer. A total of 10534 records were retrieved and 63 studies were included finally. The overall risk of bias was low to moderate. Self-made questionnaire was the most used instrument, followed by The Short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey questionnaire (SCNS-SF34). Social support (74%), fear of cancer recurrence/ spreading (55%), daily activity (54%), sexual/intimacy (52%) and information support (50%) were the unmet needs with most proportion. Information need and psychological/emotional need were been found to appear most frequently. The most reported unmet needs among breast cancer patients were dignity (55.8%), physical/symptom (55%), and daily activity (52.7%). Meanwhile, in breast cancer survivors, peer communication (65.5%), daily activity (56.5%), medical counselling (52.2%), and fear of cancer recurrence/ spreading (52%) were frequently reported. It was found that unmet needs were significantly associated with many factors such as demographic data, treatment, disease status, quality of life, performance status and some psychological indicators. Conclusion Breast cancer patients are experiencing a large number of unmet needs in fear of cancer recurrence, daily activity, sexual/intimacy, psychology and information. Standard assessment tools that specifically to unmet needs among breast cancer patients were absent. Patients with different characteristics had various unmet support need, which emphasized the necessity to verified elaborate care plan for different patients. We identified some potential risk factors of unmet need. Data synthesis through meta-analysis to confirm the influencing factors are demanded.

The health care needs and associated factors of breast cancer patients in shanghai, china

“…Many related studies have also been conducted in China, such as a survey in Taiwan on unmet supportive care needs of breast cancer survivors at different phases of cancer or treatment [17] , a research to identify the trajectory patterns and predictors of supportive care needs of elderly breast cancer patients in Shanghai [18] , and a research to investigate the information needs of breast cancer patients in Hong Kong and their satisfaction with the information provided [19] . Patient-reported unmet needs were found to include information needs, psychological/emotional needs, physical/symptoms, medical support, and fear of cancer recurrence/anxiety [20] . However, studies of unmet needs among Chinese breast cancer survivors have only focused on information needs, psychological needs, and total supportive care needs, and have not yet investigated health care needs, and the association of factors such as sleep duration, physical status, and nancial toxicity with unmet needs among Chinese breast cancer patients has not yet been demonstrated.…”

Unmet care needs of women who have undergone breast cancer surgery: A scoping review

“…A scoping review is recommended to comprehensively assess the breadth of the research topic and identify gaps worthy of further investigation (Pollock et al., 2021; Tricco et al., 2016). Several reviews have been conducted on this topic (Fan et al., 2023; Fiszer et al., 2014; Khajoei et al., 2023; Wabula et al., 2020). A systematic review of 23 quantitative studies examined the prevalence and factors associated with unmet care needs in women with breast cancer (Fiszer et al., 2014).…”

“…However, these reviews did not show the research advancements and identified gaps that warrant further investigation. Moreover, a recent scoping review synthesized the evidence related to the unmet care needs of adults with breast cancer (Fan et al., 2023). This review included breast cancer survivors regardless of cancer treatment and disease stage.…”