Aims. Similarly to men who receive active treatments for prostate cancer (e.g., radical prostatectomy), men on active surveillance require on-going person-centred supportive care. The aim of this study was to systematically review the currently available literature to identify the unmet supportive care needs of men on active surveillance for prostate cancer.
Methods. This review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The following databases were searched to identify eligible studies: Pubmed, Embase, PsychInfo, CINAHL. Studies were included if they reported results specific to men on active surveillance, explored unmet supportive care needs, were available in English and were original research using a qualitative and/or quantitative design. Studies were excluded if they only reported patient outcomes (e.g., quality of life) or related to men in the treatment-decision phase.
Results. N= 3,613 references were identified, of which 9 studies met eligibility criteria (3 quantitative, 6 qualitative). Preliminary analysis has revealed the majority of unmet supportive care needs are informational (e.g., lack of information on active surveillance and future treatment) and emotional/psychological (e.g., lack of, active surveillance-specific support). However, the majority of studies included reported very few results specific to active surveillance, with only 2 studies including a sample of active-surveillance patients only.
Conclusions. Preliminary analysis suggests men on active surveillance experience a variety of unmet supportive care needs, particularly in relation to information and psychological support. This review highlights a significant research gap, as very few studies comprehensively explored the unmet needs of men on active surveillance. Further research is required in order to determine men’s specific unmet needs on active surveillance in order for these to be appropriately and effectively targeted in interventions and in practice.