Follow the trail: Using insights from the growth of palliative care to propose a roadmap for cancer rehabilitation.

Despite research explicating the benefits of cancer rehabilitation interventions to optimize physical, social, emotional, and vocational functioning, many reports document low rates of referral to and uptake of rehabilitation in oncology. Cancer rehabilitation clinicians, researchers, and policy makers could learn from the multidisciplinary specialty of palliative care, which has benefited from a growth strategy and has garnered national recognition as an important and necessary aspect of oncology care. The purpose of this article is to explore the actions that have increased the uptake and integration of palliative care to yield insights and multimodal strategies for the development and growth of cancer rehabilitation. After examining the history of palliative care and its growth, the authors highlight 5 key strategies that may benefit the field of cancer rehabilitation: 1) stimulating the science in specific gap areas; 2) creating clinical practice guidelines; 3) building clinical capacity; 4) ascertaining and responding to public opinion; and 5) advocating for public policy change. Coordinated and simultaneous advances on these 5 strategies may catalyze the growth, utilization, and effectiveness of patient screening, timely referrals, and delivery of appropriate cancer rehabilitation care that reduces disability and improves quality of life for cancer survivors who need these services.

Diet and physical activity behaviors: how are they related to illness perceptions, coping, and health-related quality of life in young people with hereditary cancer syndromes?

Individuals with inherited cancer syndromes, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), may be motivated to adopt health-protective behaviors, such as eating more fruits and vegetables and increasing physical activity. Examining these health behaviors among young people with high lifetime genetic cancer risk may provide important insights to guide future behavioral interventions that aim to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We used a self-regulatory framework to investigate relationships among diet and physical activity behaviors and psychosocial constructs (e.g., illness perceptions, coping, HRQOL) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 15-39 years) with LFS. This longitudinal mixed-methods study included 57 AYAs aged 16-39 years at enrollment), 32 (56%) of whom had a history of one or more cancers. Participants completed one or two telephone interviews and/or an online survey. We thematically analyzed interview data and conducted regression analyses to evaluate relationships among variables. AYAs described adopting healthy diet and physical activity behaviors to assert some control over health and to protect HRQOL. More frequent use of active coping strategies was associated with greater reported daily fruit and vegetable intake. Greater reported physical activity was associated with better quality of psychological health. Healthy diet and physical activity behaviors may function as LFS coping strategies that confer mental health benefits. Clinicians might emphasize these potential benefits and support AYAs in adopting health behaviors that protect multiple domains of health. Future research could use these findings to develop behavioral interventions tailored to AYAs with high genetic cancer risk.

How do young people with a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome understand and experience cancer survivorship? "With Li-Fraumeni syndrome, it's just an intermission".

OBJECTIVES: Adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors face unique medical and psychosocial sequalae, including chronic health conditions, late effects of treatment and fear of recurrence. The meaning of cancer survivorship may be further complicated for AYAs with hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. This study used a patient-centered framework to investigate how AYAs with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) consider cancer survivorship. METHODS: An interprofessional team conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with AYAs (aged 18-41, mean 31 years) enrolled in the National Cancer Institute's LFS Study (NCT01443468). Twenty had experienced at least one cancer diagnosis. Interview data were thematically analyzed by an inter-professional team using interpretive description and grounded theory methods. FINDINGS: Participants viewed "survivorship" as a period marked by no evidence of formerly diagnosed disease. By contrast, participants felt the label "survivor" was tenuous since LFS is characterized by multiple primary malignancies and uncertainty about intervals between one diagnosis and the next. Many AYAs viewed survivorship as requiring a high degree of suffering. Though many personally rejected "survivor" identities, almost all articulated its various functions including positive, negative, and more complicated connotations. Instead, they chose language to represent a range of beliefs about survival, longevity, prognosis, and activism. CONCLUSIONS: AYAs with LFS struggle with the term "survivor" due to their multi-organ cancer risk, short intervals between malignancies, and evolving identities. Loved ones' cancer-related suffering informed perspectives on survivorship. Survivorship care for AYAs with cancer risk syndromes requires interprofessional interventions that address their unique biomedical and psychosocial needs.

Trajectories and risk factors of fatigue following colorectal cancer diagnosis.

AIM: This study sought to identify groups of colorectal cancer patients based upon trajectories of fatigue and examine how demographic, clinical and behavioural risk factors differentiate these groups. METHOD: Patients were from six cancer centres in the United States and Germany. Fatigue was measured using the fatigue subscale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) at five time points (baseline/enrolment and 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after diagnosis). Piecewise growth mixture models identified latent trajectories of fatigue. Logistic regression models examined differences in demographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics between fatigue trajectory groups. RESULTS: Among 1615 participants (57% men, 86% non-Hispanic White, mean age 61 ± 13 years at diagnosis), three distinct groups were identified. In the high fatigue group (36%), fatigue significantly increased in the first 6 months after diagnosis and then showed statistically and clinically significant improvement from 6 to 24 months (P values < 0.01). Throughout the study period, average fatigue met or exceeded cutoffs for clinical significance. In the moderate (34%) and low (30%) fatigue groups, fatigue levels remained below or near population norms across the study period. Patients who were diagnosed with Stage II-IV disease and/or current smokers were more likely to be in the high fatigue than in the moderate fatigue group (P values < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A large proportion of colorectal cancer patients experienced sustained fatigue after initiation of cancer treatment. Patients with high fatigue at the time of diagnosis may benefit from early supportive care.

Neuroticism, cancer mortality salience, and physician avoidance in cancer survivors: Proximity of treatment matters.

OBJECTIVE: To examine if the relationship between neuroticism and physician avoidance/physician visit concerns are mediated by perceptions that cancer is associated with death ("cancer mortality salience"; CMS) for cancer survivors to inform public health interventions and tailored health communications. METHODS: Cancer survivors comprised 42.3% of the total sample (n = 525). Participants completed a 4-item neuroticism scale, 4-item cancer perceptions scale, and 4-item physician avoidance and concerns scale. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess relationships among variables for cancer survivors and separately for those without a history of cancer. RESULTS: Neuroticism was positively associated with CMS for cancer survivors, b = 0.26, (p < 0.001), and those without cancer, b = 0.22, (p < 0.001). There was an association between neuroticism and physician avoidance among cancer survivors with temporally distant treatment courses after controlling for CMS, b = 0.56 (p = 0.006), but not for those currently or recently having had undergone treatment (p = 0.949). There was also an indirect relationship between neuroticism and physician visit concerns that was mediated by CMS for cancer survivors, b = 0.07, CI = [0.03, 0.13], but this relationship was again driven by cancer survivors with more distal treatment courses. CONCLUSIONS: High neuroticism in cancer survivors is associated with physician avoidance and physician visit concerns when treatment is temporally distant. Interventions aimed at decoupling the association between cancer and death can help increase the willingness of cancer survivors to attain cancer care follow-ups and healthcare more generally.

Systematic Review of Functional Outcomes in Cancer Rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence regarding rehabilitation interventions targeting optimal physical or cognitive function in adults with a history of cancer and describe the breadth of evidence as well as strengths and limitations across a range of functional domains. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Plus, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. The time scope was January 2008 to April 2019. STUDY SELECTION: Prospective, controlled trials including single- and multiarm cohorts investigating rehabilitative interventions for cancer survivors at any point in the continuum of care were included, if studies included a primary functional outcome measure. Secondary data analyses and pilot/feasibility studies were excluded. Full-text review identified 362 studies for inclusion. DATA EXTRACTION: Extraction was performed by coauthor teams and quality and bias assessed using the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Classification of Evidence Scheme (class I-IV). DATA SYNTHESIS: Studies for which the functional primary endpoint achieved significance were categorized into 9 functional areas foundational to cancer rehabilitation: (1) quality of life (109 studies), (2) activities of daily living (61 studies), (3) fatigue (59 studies), (4) functional mobility (55 studies), (5) exercise behavior (37 studies), (6) cognition (20 studies), (7) communication (10 studies), (8) sexual function (6 studies), and (9) return to work (5 studies). Most studies were categorized as class III in quality/bias. Averaging results found within each of the functional domains, 71% of studies reported statistically significant results after cancer rehabilitation intervention(s) for at least 1 functional outcome. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence supporting the efficacy of rehabilitative interventions for individuals with a cancer history. The findings should be balanced with the understanding that many studies had moderate risk of bias and/or limitations in study quality by AAN criteria. These results may provide a foundation for future work to establish clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitative interventions across cancer disease types.

Spiritual peace and life meaning may buffer the effect of anxiety on physical well-being in newly diagnosed cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent to which spiritual well-being moderates the relationship between anxiety and physical well-being in a diverse, community-based cohort of newly diagnosed cancer survivors. METHODS: Data originated from the Measuring Your Health (MY-Health) study cohort (n = 5506), comprising people assessed within 6-13 months of cancer diagnosis. Life meaning/peace was assessed using the 8-item subscale of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12). Anxiety was measured with an 11-item PROMIS Anxiety short form, and physical well-being was assessed using the 7-item FACT-G subscale. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess relationships among variables. RESULTS: Life meaning and peace was negatively associated with anxiety, b = -0.56 (P < .001) and positively associated with physical well-being, b = 0.43 (P = <.001) after adjusting for race, education, income, and age. A significant interaction between life meaning/peace and anxiety emerged (P < .001) indicating that spiritual well-being moderates the relationship between anxiety and physical well-being. Specifically, for cancer survivors high in anxiety, physical well-being was dependent on levels of life meaning/peace, b = 0.19, P < .001. For those low in anxiety, physical well-being was not associated with levels of life meaning/peace, b = 0.01, P = .541. Differences in cancer clinical factors (cancer stage at diagnosis, cancer type) did not significantly impact results. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to assess how spiritual well-being may buffer the negative effect of anxiety on physical well-being. A clinical focus on spiritual well-being topics such as peace and life meaning may help cancer survivors of all types as they transition into follow-up care.

Promoting assessment and management of function through navigation: opportunities to bridge oncology and rehabilitation systems of care.

Recent calls from oncology providers and cancer policy forums advocate for improved connections between rehabilitation services and cancer care delivery. Traditionally, this intersection has occurred when patients present with overt disability related to cancer treatment and is driven by reactive approaches to care. A growing body of evidence suggests that a proactive approach to functional screening and assessment encourages the identification and management of functional impairment and morbidity earlier in the cancer care continuum and contributes to better outcomes. A clinical pathway that prompts screening and referral to rehabilitation services in an expedited manner is needed. Cancer patient navigators provide care coordination through the duration of medical treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life. This article presents a framework for navigation workflows to support functional assessment and provide early triage pathways to the rehabilitation system of care. We provide a case example of novel approach to patient navigation from a Southeastern United States community cancer center that uses a patient navigator with a rehabilitation background to serve in this role. An overview of the position skills, functional assessment and referral pathways, and perspective on quality improvements related to this approach are described. The use of rehabilitation providers beyond traditional clinical roles should be further explored. Their expertise in functional assessment and interpretation could foster improvements in cancer care delivery and outcomes for survivors in both the short and long term.

Occupational therapy practice in oncology care: Results from a survey.

The everyday landscape of occupational therapy (OT) in oncology is underexplored, hindering targeted improvements. The purpose of the present study was to identify the OT interventions commonly provided and reimbursed in oncology. A survey utilizing snowball sampling was disseminated online to OT working in oncology care; 167 surveys were received from 21 states in the United States. Results found that over 90% of therapists reported focusing on physical impairment, weakness, fatigue, and activities of daily living. Interventions for emotional/social support, self-advocacy, quality of life, lifestyle management, and cognitive impairment were not directly billed. More than 90% of therapists reported that, in the absence of barriers, they would address quality of life, emotional difficulties, lifestyle management, and home safety. Overall, the findings suggested that OT in the United States primarily provide physical interventions for oncology patients. However, they also provide psychosocial services and client/caregiver education, but often do not bill directly for this care. Reimbursement structures should be modified to allow for the direct billing of mental/psychosocial and educational interventions in OT for cancer care.

Supportive care priorities of low-income Latina breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the supportive care needs of a sample of low-income Latina breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Ninety-nine Spanish-speaking breast cancer survivors who self-identified as Latina and reported an income below the US Census Bureau low-income threshold were recruited from the oncology clinic of a major public safety net hospital. Eligible participants completed the supportive care needs survey (SCNS-SF34) and a demographic questionnaire. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of respondents had unmet needs. The majority of frequently reported unmet needs involved (1) access to and delivery of health-related information and (2) physical function. These findings appear to contrast with those of other studies of supportive care needs in heterogeneous cancer survivors, most of which describe psychological concerns as most urgent. CONCLUSIONS: Participants espoused information-related needs with a higher frequency than many other samples of cancer survivors. This study population may also require a particularly high level of assistance with overcoming participation restrictions. Further research is needed to understand these discrepancies and to address unmet needs across all domains.

Mindfulness practice reduces cortisol blunting during chemotherapy: A randomized controlled study of colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this randomized clinical experiment was to test the influence of a mindfulness meditation practice, when delivered during 1 session of active chemotherapy administration, on the acute salivary cortisol response as a marker of neuroendocrine system activity in cancer patients. METHODS: A mindfulness, attention-control, or resting exposure was assigned to 57 English- or Spanish-speaking colorectal cancer patients at 1 county oncology clinic and 1 university oncology clinic at the start of chemotherapy. Saliva samples were collected at the start of chemotherapy and at subsequent 20-minute intervals during the first 60 minutes of chemotherapy (4 samples in all). Self-reporting on biobehavioral assessments after chemotherapy included distress, fatigue, and mindfulness. RESULTS: An area-under-the-curve analysis (AUC) showed a relative increase in cortisol reactivity in the mindfulness group after adjustments for biological and clinical measures (ß = 123.21; P = .03). More than twice as many patients in the mindfulness group versus the controls displayed a cortisol rise from the baseline to 20 minutes (69% vs 34%; P = .02). AUC values were uncorrelated with biobehavioral measure scores, although mindfulness scores were inversely correlated with fatigue (r = -0.46; P < .01) and distress scores (r = -0.54; P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that mindfulness practice during chemotherapy can reduce the blunting of neuroendocrine profiles typically observed in cancer patients. Implications include support for the use of mindfulness practice in integrative oncology. Cancer 2017;123:3088-96. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Delphi Study to Determine Rehabilitation Research Priorities for Older Adults With Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To solicit expert opinions and develop consensus around the research that is needed to improve cancer rehabilitation for older adults. DESIGN: Delphi methods provided a structured process to elicit and prioritize research questions from national experts. SETTING: National, Web-based survey. PARTICIPANTS: Members (N=32) of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine completed at least 1 of 3 investigator-developed surveys. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In the first survey, participants identified up to 5 research questions that needed to be answered to improve cancer rehabilitation for older adults. In 2 subsequent surveys, participants viewed the compilation of questions, rated the importance of each question, and identified the 5 most important questions. This generated priority scores for each question. Consensus scores were created to describe the degree of agreement around the priority of each question. RESULTS: Highest priority research concerns the epidemiology and measurement of function and disability in older adult cancer survivors; the effects of cancer rehabilitation interventions on falls, disability, participation, survival, costs, quality of care, and health care utilization; and testing models of care that facilitate referrals from oncology to rehabilitation providers as part of coordinated, multicomponent care. CONCLUSIONS: A multipronged approach is needed to fill these gaps, including targeted funding opportunities developed with an advisory panel of cancer rehabilitation experts, development of a research network to facilitate novel collaborations and grant proposals, and coordinated efforts of clinical groups to advocate for funding, practice change, and policy change.

Occupational Engagement in Low-Income Latina Breast Cancer Survivors.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study examined the experience of occupational engagement in low-income Latina breast cancer survivors and suggests the potential for occupational therapy practitioners to improve health outcomes in this vulnerable and underserved population. METHOD: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 9 participants. Inductive analysis was used to code for themes and patterns related to occupational engagement and quality of life (QOL). RESULTS: Lack of occupational engagement negatively affected QOL, but participation in occupations such as religious activity and caregiving promoted well-being. Financial concerns and communication barriers decreased QOL. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer can have a negative impact on occupational engagement in low-income Latina breast cancer survivors; however, some occupations may increase QOL. Socioeconomic status and cultural values influence occupational engagement and QOL. Occupational therapy practitioners can improve health outcomes in this population through awareness of relevant sociocultural factors and attention to appropriate patient communication.

Toward a Broader Role for Occupational Therapy in Supportive Oncology Care.

Supportive care in oncology helps people cope with cancer and its psychological, physical, and emotional side effects. However, cancer survivors report dissatisfaction with supportive care and a need for more psychosocial and self-management services. Occupational therapy practitioners represent an integral part of the supportive care team because their scope of practice emphasizes function. Through a focus on function, practitioners address the full spectrum of physical and psychosocial care. Currently, conceptualizations of occupational therapy for cancer survivors often focus solely on physical interventions and, therefore, do not represent the unique involvement of the profession in supportive oncology care. We advocate for a focused framework for occupational therapy practitioners in oncology as experts in function and providers of both physical and psychosocial treatments. Barriers to a focus on function are identified, and strategies are suggested for expanding involvement for the profession in supportive oncology care.

Napping and Nighttime Sleep: Findings From an Occupation-Based Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To describe sleeping behaviors and trends over time among an ethnically diverse group of community-living older adults. METHOD: A descriptive secondary data analysis of a subsample (n = 217) from the Lifestyle Redesign randomized controlled trial was done to explore baseline napping and sleeping patterns as well as 6-mo changes in these outcomes. RESULTS: At baseline, the average time sleeping was 8.2 hr daily (standard deviation = 1.7). Among all participants, 29% reported daytime napping at baseline, of which 36% no longer napped at follow-up. Among participants who stopped napping, those who received an occupation-based intervention (n = 98) replaced napping time with nighttime sleep, and those not receiving an intervention (n = 119) experienced a net loss of total sleep (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Among participants who stopped napping, the occupation-based intervention may be related to enhanced sleep. More research examining the role of occupation-based interventions in improving sleep is warranted.

Loneliness as a risk factor for cancer-related cognitive impairment: a secondary data analysis from the Haze study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between loneliness and cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) in a cohort of breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Female breast cancer survivors (stage I-III) reporting cognitive impairments 2 months to 5 years after chemotherapy (n = 61) participated in a prospective, nonblinded, waitlist-controlled pilot study. The intervention was a tailored cognitive rehabilitation program. Data were collected pre-/post-intervention. Loneliness was measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Perceived cognitive function was measured using two subscales of the FACT-Cog and two PROMIS - Applied Cognition short forms. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the relationship between loneliness and perceived cognitive function (PCF). RESULTS: Participants' loneliness severity was correlated with diminished PCF across all cognitive measures (Spearman r= -0.63 FACT-Cog Perceived Cognitive Impairment, p < 0.0001; r= -0.6 FACT-Cog Perceived Cognitive Abilities, p < 0.0001; r= -0.49 PROMIS Cognitive Ability, p = 0.0002; r = 0.50 PROMIS General Concerns, p = 0.0002). Loneliness scores significantly decreased following participation in the cognitive rehabilitation program in intervention participants as compared to wait-list controls [-5.0 ± 7.24, 95% CI (-8.06, -1.94), p = 0.0025]. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived loneliness was significantly and consistently correlated with PCF. The intervention may have served a dual purpose in both addressing cognitive deficits and loneliness. Additional research dedicated to understanding the association between loneliness and cognitive function, as well as screening for and addressing loneliness in clinical oncology settings, may be warranted. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONScreening for and addressing loneliness in oncology rehabilitation settings is warranted.Rehabilitation professionals are well-positioned to screen for and address loneliness during clinic visits as part of routine cancer rehabilitation care.Group settings may be appropriate for addressing cancer-related cognitive impairment in rehabilitation, as these groups may serve the dual purpose of addressing cognitive impairment and loneliness simultaneously.

Telehealth Utilization Among Occupational Therapists in Oncology: Results From a National Survey.

While the COVID-19 pandemic introduced wide expansion of telehealth access in health care, evidence concerning telehealth use in occupational therapy (OT) for cancer survivors remains limited. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and perceptions of telehealth services among occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in oncology. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used to analyze data from a pre-pandemic national survey of OTPs (n = 126) focusing on telehealth. Most OTPs in oncology settings support telehealth use, despite a dearth of access prior to the pandemic. The highest levels of telehealth endorsement among OTPs related to ease of accessibility (48%). Treatments rated as best suited for OT oncology telehealth sessions included education (41%), quality of life/well-being/lifestyle (21%), and psychosocial interventions (19%). These data suggest widespread benefits of telehealth-delivered OT treatment in oncology. Advocacy is needed to ensure the continuation of legislation allowing expanded telehealth access and reimbursement for OT.

Reporting Rigor of Cancer Rehabilitation Interventions: Application of the CReDECI-2 Guidelines.

ABSTRACT: Clear reporting of cancer rehabilitation interventions is critical for interpreting and translating research into clinical practice. This study sought to examine the completeness of intervention reporting of cancer rehabilitation interventions addressing disability and to identify which elements are most frequently missing. This was a secondary analysis of randomized controlled trials included in two systematic reviews examining effectiveness of cancer rehabilitation interventions that address cancer-related disability, including functional outcomes. Eligible trials were reviewed for intervention reporting rigor using the Criteria for Reporting the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions in Healthcare 2 checklist. Intervention descriptions for cancer rehabilitation interventions were generally incomplete. Approximately 85% ( n = 157) of trials described ≤50% of Criteria for Reporting the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions in Healthcare 2 checklist items. Commonly underreported items included description of the intervention's underlying theoretical basis, fidelity, description of process evaluation or external conditions influencing intervention delivery, and costs or required resources for intervention delivery. The findings reveal that cancer rehabilitation intervention descriptions lacked necessary detail in this body of literature. Poor descriptions limit the translation of research to clinical practice. To ensure higher-quality study design and reporting, future intervention research should incorporate an intervention reporting checklist to ensure more complete descriptions for research and practice.

Fatigue as an Understudied Barrier to Participation in Life Roles.

Fatigue is one of the most burdensome and disabling symptoms in numerous acute and chronic conditions and is associated with reduced participation in all aspects of daily life, for example, parenting, employment, and socialization. Historically, occupational practitioners played key roles in fatigue management by creating and implementing interventions. The American Occupational Therapy Foundation convened a Planning Grant Collective workshop with the goal to develop collaborative research ideas and proposals to advance the understanding and management of fatigue. Participants from occupational therapy and other disciplines, with expertise with fatigue or who were conducting research on fatigue, participated in a 3-day virtual workshop. Four main topics emerged: implementation science, treatment taxonomy, trial design and comparative effectiveness, and phenotyping. This white paper describes the proceedings, summarizes the discussions, and outlines recommendations from the PGC workshop on fatigue.

A qualitative study of online information-seeking preferences among cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: As the cancer survivor population increases, diminished health care provider capacity will place more responsibility on survivors to obtain health information. Many survivors search for cancer information online, yet there is a dearth of research on how survivors obtain and engage with this information. This study examined cancer survivors' information-seeking behaviors and perceptions during a self-guided online search task. METHODS: Ten adult cancer survivors (largely breast and thyroid) completed a task in which they searched for online cancer-related information of their choice. Participants were asked to verbally narrate the procedural aspects of the task and provide real-time responses to the search results and experiences related to the task. Transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach, and codes and themes were examined and interpreted. RESULTS: Participants searched primarily for information specific to their cancer type and stage, seeking personalized information about risk factors, prognosis, and treatments. Additionally, participants reported having to engage in excessive navigation to find relevant cancer information, citing aesthetic, usability, and credibility features of the websites that they considered barriers to obtaining this information. CONCLUSIONS: Survivors' online health information needs require streamlined cancer information resources that are disaggregated by cancer type, stage, and treatment course and located on websites with aesthetic and usability features that facilitate expedient searches for personally relevant cancer information. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study provides useful perspectives of cancer survivors that may inform the development of online cancer resources to better serve this population.