To systematically evaluate evidence regarding the unmet supportive care needs of men affected by penile cancer and their partners to create a holistic model of care and inform clinical practice guidelines.
We searched CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (CCRT and CDSR) controlled trials databases and clinicaltrial.gov from 1990 to April 2020. This review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement.
18 articles were included, reporting the results from 17 studies. Included reports used qualitative (seven studies) and survey (ten studies). Across these studies, men reported that the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of penile cancer affected physical, psychological and sexual well-being with each facet impacting and being intertwined with the other at varying degrees. There was varying complexity of unmet needs in men and partners pre-surgery, post-surgery and into survivorship.
Moderate evidence exists that men affected by penile cancer experience a range of unmet supportive care needs across the international literature. Further work to evaluate the impact of penile cancer on partners is required.
European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society. 2020 Aug 14 [Epub ahead of print]
Catherine Paterson, Charlotte Primeau, Mallory Bowker, Bente Jensen, Steven MacLennan, Yuhong Yuan, James N'Dow
University of Canberra, Australia; Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK; University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK; Prehabilitation, Activity, Cancer, Exercise and Survivorship (PACES) Research Group, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia; ACT Synergy Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre, Canberra Hospital and ACT Health, ACT, Australia. Electronic address: ., Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, NY, USA., Department of Urology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark., University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK., Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada.