Factors involved in facial skin cancer patients' experiences, needs and concerns

Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers are among the most commonly diagnosed malignancies globally, with incidence rates continuing to rise. Patients with facial skin cancer frequently experience significant psychosocial distress, including anxiety and concerns about appearance, which adversely affect their quality of life. However, the supportive care needs of this population during diagnosis and treatment remain poorly understood, leading to missed opportunities for meaningful intervention during clinical consultations. Current patient-reported outcome measures are insufficient to fully capture the nuanced and holistic concerns specific to this group. This article aims to summarise on the factors contributing to experiences, needs, and concerns of patients with facial skin cancer in published literature. A broad literature search was undertaken using targeted keywords related to facial skin cancer and patient experience. Findings reveal a diverse and complex range of unmet needs, often varying across specific patient subgroups, which underscores the highly individualised nature of patient experiences. This variability presents challenges in identifying consistent, overarching themes, and highlights a critical gap in the current clinical focus on holistic care. While this paper identifies key areas warranting further exploration, it also highlights the key absence of a systematic approach to understanding patient experiences in this context. Further research is essential to comprehensively characterise these needs and inform the development of tailored clinical tools to support more effective, patient-centred care.