‘It feels it’s wasting whatever time I’ve got left’: A qualitative study of living with treatable but not curable cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sage Palliative Medicine & Chronic Care

This episode features Dr Eloise Radcliffe (University of Southampton, Southampton, UK) and Aysha Khan (The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK) People living with cancer that is treatable but not curable have complex needs, often managing their health and wellbeing at home, supported by those close to them. People living with cancer that is treatable but not curable often wish to maintain independence, normality and control over their lives. Patients living with cancer that is treatable but not curable and their carers experienced heightened uncertainty and a sense of lost opportunities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While changes to treatment led to some concern about the longer-term impact on their health, most patients reported feeling well-supported by healthcare teams. Findings have wider resonance for people living with other life-limiting conditions. It is important that the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients and carers is recognised by those who commission and deliver cancer care. The health and wellbeing of carers needs to be acknowledged and further efforts made to include them in clinical consultations.