Improving the transition of care for cancer survivors: an integrative literature review

Keywords

cancer survivor - primary care - transitional care

Introduction: The term “cancer survivor” can have various meanings in the literature. Most commonly, a cancer survivor refers to anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer¹,². There are over 32 million cancer survivors worldwide, and this number is expected to continue growing. However, both human and institutional resources are limited and must be used rationally and optimally. Given this duality, our initial plan was to develop an institutional protocol for the safe discharge of patients from specialized primary care settings. Thus, this integrative review aims to examine the current literature on transitional care from the oncology care team's perspective.

Objective: To examine the current literature on transitional care from the perspective of the oncology care team.

Method: An integrative review of articles from the LILACS and BDENF/BVS, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Scopus databases was conducted using the descriptors “Cancer survivor,” “Transitional Care,” and “Primary Care.” Eligible articles were reviewed to synthesize findings. The review followed the five stages of integrative review methodology: problem formulation, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis, and presentation.

Results: The initial search yielded 29 articles. One duplicate article was removed, and 28 articles were subjected to a title and abstract review. Only 14 articles met the inclusion criteria.

Conclusion: Transitions of care between cancer specialists and primary care physicians (PCPs) require ongoing improvement. The transition is a complex process during which patients, the oncology care team, and the primary care team may face unpredictability, partly due to the lack of evidence-based models. Barriers include the need for improved communication, knowledge/information sharing, financial toxicity, and resources for quality survivorship care. A survivorship care plan could enhance communication between cancer specialists and PCPs, improve survivors' receipt of cancer-related care, reduce costs, and support preventive care. Advancements in survivorship care education may lead to more effective care coordination and smoother transitions in the future.

Corresponding author: Gustavo Drummond Pinho Ribeiro (e-mail: [e-mail]).

 

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No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
06 May 2025