Annals of Medicine

Patient Perspectives in Oncology

Patient perspectives remain underrepresented in oncology research and cancer policy, where outcomes are often defined by tumour response, survival, and treatment efficacy. While these measures are essential, they do not fully capture how cancer shapes the lived experience of patients. Individuals navigate uncertainty, symptom burden, complex decision making, disrupted family and work roles, and ongoing psychological distress. These dimensions influence how patients engage with care, yet they are often inconsistently measured or excluded from core outcomes. As a result, important aspects of cancer care risk being overlooked. Bringing patient experience more explicitly into research can help identify unmet needs and ensure that evidence reflects what matters in real-world settings. This Article Collection will bring together work that examines cancer care through the lens of patients’ lived experience.

This is important because many decisions in oncology involve burdens and trade-offs that are not well reflected in the measures most commonly reported. Time spent in care, financial strain, information needs, effects on daily life, and the impact on families can influence treatment choices, adherence, and overall care. When these issues are not studied directly, they are easier to overlook in research, service planning, and policy. Work in this area can support better study design, more informed clinical discussions, and a broader understanding of what should count when evaluating cancer care.

We welcome submissions from across oncology and related fields that examine how patients experience cancer and its care. Topics of interest include patient reported outcomes and quality of life, communication and shared decision making, and the broader burden of care such as financial and time toxicity. We also encourage work focused on survivorship, supportive and palliative care, caregiver perspectives, and inequalities in patient experience, including the role of digital health. Submissions that critically examine how patient perspectives shape research priorities, clinical practice, service delivery, and policy are particularly encouraged, especially where findings offer clear implications for improving care. This Article Collection welcomes original research using qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, as well as systematic reviews, clinical trials with patient-centered outcomes, study protocols, and commentaries.

Keywords:

1. Patient perspectives
2. Oncology
3. Patient-reported outcomes
4. Quality of life
5. Common sense oncology

Guest Advisors:

Dr. Javier-David Benitez-Fuentes, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Spain

Javier David Benitez Fuentes is a medical oncologist based at Hospital General Universitario de Elche, Spain. His clinical and academic work focuses on thoracic oncology, patient-centered care, health policy, and global oncology. He has a strong interest in how patient experience, access, and social context shape cancer outcomes and care delivery. He is also an Associate Editor of the Oncology section of Annals of Medicine journal.

Dr. Shayne Chau, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Shayne Chau is a Senior Lecturer in Diagnostic Radiography at Charles Sturt University and an Associate Professor at VinUniversity. His work spans radiography education, neuroimaging, and patient-centred cancer care, with a strong focus on communication and patient experience. He has published extensively on topics including scan-associated distress, informed consent, and the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. His research and teaching aim to strengthen the connection between clinical practice, patient perspectives, and health system design. He is also an Associate Editor of the Oncology section of Annals of Medicine journal.

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All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisors for this Collection are both Associate Editors for Annals of Medicine so may handle submitted manuscripts.

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is May 28th, 2027.

Please contact Commissioning Editor Francis Straw at [email protected] with any questions or for details about APC discounts for this Article Collection.