Supportive care needs of women with breast cancer in the Middle East and North Africa region: A scoping review.

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Original abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Women with breast cancer can experience a range of informational, psychological, or physical supportive care needs at different stages of their cancer journey. There is limited insight into the breast cancer experience and supportive care needs from the perspective of women living in the Middle East and North Africa region.<h4>Purpose</h4>To explore and examine the supportive care literature from the Middle East and North Africa region.<h4>Methods</h4>The scoping review was conducted using the five stages outlined by the Arksey and O'Malley framework and modified by Levac to enhance the reliability of the findings. A best-fit framework synthesis was used to report the findings and was mapped against the 11 supportive care needs domains. Databases, including Embase, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, were searched originally in March 2020 and updated in July 2024, and no publication date restrictions were applied.<h4>Results</h4>Sixty-one studies from 13 countries in the region were included. Findings were mapped across 10 domains-physical, psychological, health system and informational, patient-clinician communication, practical, spiritual, social, family-related, intimacy-related, and cognitive needs-using a modified supportive care needs framework. We highlighted context-specific patterns of supportive care needs in the region, particularly regarding stigma, spirituality, and intimacy-related concerns.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Breast cancer researchers in this region have focused largely on women's experiences rather than explicit supportive care needs, with some attention to psychological outcomes, such as anxiety and depression. Existing quantitative tools may not fully capture culturally relevant needs, particularly spiritual and social dimensions. These gaps may limit effective intervention development, highlighting the need for context-specific assessment tools to inform targeted supportive care strategies.

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