Respecting the spiritual side of advanced cancer care: a systematic review

Abstract

Spirituality is among the resources that many turn to as they deal with a diagnosis of advanced cancer. Researchers have made much progress in exploring and understanding spirituality's complex and multifaceted role in the midst of metastatic disease. As a result, spirituality is seen as an important aspect of a holistic and respectful approach to clinical care for patients and their loved ones. In this article, we provide a systematic review of the literature related to the interface between spirituality and metastatic cancer. We included articles published from January 2013 to June 2014. Twenty-two articles were reviewed, consisting of clinical intervention trials, association studies, surveys, qualitative studies, and review articles. The articles discussed efforts to improve patients' spiritual well-being, with relevant measurement scales; the associations of spirituality and end of life treatment practices; and efforts to better understand and meet the spiritual needs of patients and caregivers.