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Supportive Care Needs and Related Interventions in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer and Their Informal Caregivers: A
Liang Fu1, Su Hyun Kim2, Deanna Dolores Garcia1
1School of Nursing, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.
Purpose:
This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive literature review regarding supportive care needs and related interventions for patients with pancreatic cancer and/or their informal caregivers.
Methods:
Following the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis, we conducted this review. In January 2025, we searched five English databases using the keywords "pancreatic cancer," "patients/caregivers," "supportive care," and "needs." We summarized the data employing the Supportive Care Framework.
Results:
Of the 4752 references identified, 43 articles were included in the review. Among the 33 descriptive studies, informational needs emerged as the most frequently reported supportive care need, identified in studies involving both patients and informal caregivers (n = 6), patients only (n = 13), and informal caregivers only (n = 5). These were followed by emotional needs (n = 4) for both patients and informal caregivers, physical needs (n = 8) for patients only, and emotional (n = 4) and practical needs (n = 4) for informal caregivers only. Psycho-educational interventions were the most frequently reported approach for addressing the needs of both patients and informal caregivers, while pain/symptom management interventions were the most frequently used to support patients alone. Four studies demonstrated statistically significant improvements in outcomes for intervention groups compared to control groups.
Conclusion:
Patients with pancreatic cancer and their informal caregivers experienced a spectrum of supportive care needs, particularly informational needs. Intervention strategies have been developed to address their supportive care needs, but only a few studies demonstrated statistically significant improvements in outcomes. These findings advance our understanding of the supportive care needs and related interventions for patients with pancreatic cancer and/or their informal caregivers, providing a foundation for future research and targeted interventions to better address these needs.
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