Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42744385›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Spiritual wellbeing in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in northern Kerala, India: a qualitative study.

M S Biji, Rajasree Kc, Shoba Nair, Praveen Kumar Shenoy, Odette Spruyt, Chitra Venkateswaran, Satheesan B, Dehannathparambil Kottarathiil Vijayakumar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

8 authors.

M S BijiPain and Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, India bijims@medical.aims.amrita.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4643-3720
Rajasree KcPain and Palliative Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala, India.
Shoba NairPain and Palliative Medicine, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Amrita Health Sciences Campus, Kochi, Kerala, India.
Praveen Kumar ShenoyClinical Hematology and Medical Oncology, Malabar Cancer Center, Kodiyeri, Kerala, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0732-429X
Odette SpruytLaunceston General Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0957-9528
Chitra VenkateswaranPsychiatry and Palliative Care, Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9632-3039
Satheesan BSurgical Oncology, Malabar Cancer Center, Kodiyeri, Kerala, India.
Dehannathparambil Kottarathiil VijayakumarDepartment of Breast and Gynecological Oncology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSpiritual well-being is an essential component of holistic palliative care. However, patients' lived experiences of spirituality in advanced cancer remain underexplored in low- and middle-income settings. This study aimed to explore spiritual well-being from the perspectives of patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care in a tertiary cancer centre in Kerala.

designQualitative descriptive study using face-to-face, in-depth, semistructured interviews and conventional content analysis conducted between November 2022 and December 2024.

settingOutpatient palliative care services of a tertiary cancer centre in Kerala, India.

participants20 adults with advanced cancer receiving palliative care were recruited using purposive sampling. Interviews were conducted in Malayalam. Data were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English and analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis as described by Graneheim and Lundman. Data collection continued until saturation was achieved. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, dependability, confirmability and authenticity.

resultsA total of 127 codes were identified and organised into 18 subthemes and four overarching themes: (1)

conclusionsSpiritual wellbeing in advanced cancer extends beyond religious practices and is shaped by interconnected experiences of illness, relationships, spiritual beliefs and cultural context. Addressing these dimensions through holistic and culturally sensitive palliative care may enhance emotional resilience and overall quality of life.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPalliative CareSpiritualityAdaptation, PsychologicalAdultAgedFemaleHumansIndiaInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchQuality of LifeTertiary Care CentersONCOLOGYPALLIATIVE CAREQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID42744385
PMCPMC13583880

What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.