Why do second-cycle medical students choose oncology? A literature overview

Given the current global cancer epidemic across the world, the need for healthcare professionals in this field is crucial. Little is known about the factors that drive medical students toward oncology.

We conducted a systematic review of the literature (from 1980 to the present), using several search equations and selecting original articles written in English based on qualitative or quantitative surveys, to understand what motivates medical students to choose oncology.

We identified only seven articles that reported quantitative surveys; no qualitative surveys were found. These seven surveys are composed of closed-ended questions and are pragmatic questionnaires based on field knowledge, but without an underlying theory. These studies most often interrogate students already oriented towards oncology. The following five concepts associated with the choice of oncology had the highest recurrence among these seven surveys, which had been conducted in different countries and at various times: interest in cancer management, initiation of the specialty during the 2nd cycle, job opportunities, low working hours, and quality of life.

The literature on this topic is particularly scarce. No qualitative studies have been published in the English language. The limited data in the literature do not allow us to fully comprehend the problem.