Cancer is a disease of increasing global prevalence, resulting in a rising need for cancer
survivorship care (CSC; World Health Organization [WHO], 2024). While definitions of CSC
vary, primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly required to care for cancer survivors
(Nekhlyudov et al., 2017). The purpose of this integrative review is to appraise existing literature
to gain an understanding of the experiences of cancer survivors who receive CSC from a PCP.
This review was guided by the research question: for adult cancer survivors, what is the
experience of cancer survivorship care provided by a PCP? A systematic literature search was
conducted, followed by an appraisal of the selected eight studies. The findings reveal the
complexity and potential scope of CSC, revealing inconsistency and wide variability in patient
experiences of receiving CSC from a PCP. While some study participants reported positive
experiences of accessing CSC and the overall quality of their CSC from a PCP, others expressed
dissatisfaction in these areas. Some consistency in cancer survivor experience was found in the
areas of PCP knowledge levels and organization of CSC, with the overall perception being one of
inadequacy. Given the numerous benefits of improving the care of cancer survivors, and the need
to increase the role of PCPs in CSC provision, researchers, policymakers, and educators need to
take note of these patient experiences to make positive improvements to CSC.
