SynthesisBMC palliative care2026
Key challenges in communication across milestones of cancer care continuum: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC palliative care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEffective communication is essential in cancer care, significantly influencing patients' emotional, psychological, and physical outcomes. As patients' needs and goals evolve across different stages of the cancer journey, communication barriers also change. This systematic review aimed to identify key communication barriers between healthcare providers and cancer patients across the cancer care continuum.
methodsTwo reviewers systematically searched four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) to identify studies examining communication barriers between healthcare providers and cancer patients at specific stages of care. This review is registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251074785).
resultsA total of 139 articles were included and categorized into six distinct stages of the cancer journey. (1) During the screening phase, patients were reluctant to discuss or undergo cancer screening due to limited knowledge, the belief that cancer is unlikely in the absence of symptoms, and fear or anxiety about a potential diagnosis. (2) In the diagnosis phase, receiving cancer as 'bad news', combined with extensive information about treatment and prognosis, led to shock, emotional distress, and informational overload. (3) During treatment, patients found it difficult to discuss adverse effects, including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and sexual health concerns. Many perceived these symptoms as normal indicators of treatment effectiveness and hesitated to burden their physicians. Female patients, in particular, reported difficulty discussing sexual health, especially with male physicians. (4) In the follow-up phase, limited consultation time contributed to insufficient discussions about long-term adverse effects, relapse risk, prognosis uncertainty, and individualized survivorship care planning. (5) In the recurrence phase, disclosing cancer recurrence was described by oncologists as particularly challenging, as patients often responded with anger, blame, or emotional withdrawal. (6) In end-of-life care, both patients and healthcare providers frequently delayed or avoided end-of-life conversations for various reasons.
conclusionsCommunication barriers between healthcare providers and cancer patients are multifaceted and stage-specific, arising from emotional, cognitive, and relational factors on both sides.
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Registered trials
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 Socratic graph.