Screening tools for identifying palliative care needs in oncology: a scoping review

Patients with cancer frequently have unmet palliative care needs yet timely integration of palliative care in oncology remains limited. Screening tools could support early identification of patients who would benefit from palliative care, but their usability and practical integration within cancer care remain inadequately delineated. This scoping review aims to synthesise and compare available screening tools identifying unmet palliative care needs in cancer populations.

Four English databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Embase and CINAHL) and four Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang, CMB and VIP) were searched from inception to November 2025. Descriptive analysis and narrative synthesis were used to summarise the key findings.

Thirty-seven studies reporting 19 screening tools were included. The tools could be grouped into universal tools (eg, the Needs at the End-of-Life Screening Tool), tools with cancer-specific modules (eg, the NECesidades PALiativas (NECPAL) CCOMS-ICO Tool) and tools developed specifically for cancer populations (eg, Palliative Care Screening Checklist for Patients with Advanced Cancer). Considerable heterogeneity was observed in domains, item numbers, users, formats and clinical settings. Only a minority of tools provided psychometric evaluation in cancer populations and evidence on real-world implementation.

This review provides an overview of available screening tools used to identify palliative care needs in cancer populations and highlights substantial variability in their characteristics, validation and clinical use. Strengthening psychometric evidence and application research is needed to support timely and appropriate integration of palliative care into oncology practice.