Cancer-related loneliness management strategies: qualitative interviews of British adults

Background

Advances in early detection and treatment means people live longer with or survive cancer. However, many experience loneliness at a prevalence exceeding level of the general population. The literature shows that there are limited interventions explicitly for cancer-related loneliness and many have limited efficacy. This study sought to understand what people with cancer do themselves, that addresses their loneliness.

Methods

Qualitative interviews of adult participants with cancer (n = 18) were conducted. Participants were recruited within a region served by one English NHS trust. Participants were aged 27-80 years, 56% were female. Interviews were conducted between 2024-2025. Data were analysed using Framework Method and mapped against a novel intervention typology.

Results

Participants described themselves as making a concerted effort to be mentally and actively occupied (immersion), openly acknowledged their thoughts and feelings (reframing), spent time with others with cancer (shared experience), actively nurtured relationships (mutuality and reciprocity), sought information from varied sources (education) or sought to express themselves to make meaning (self-concept). Many participants did more than one regularly, to alleviate loneliness. Uniquely, individuals who reported that they had never been lonely used the strategies and also appeared adaptive to change. Cancer context and resource availability affected participation in available interventions.

Conclusions

Cancer-related loneliness is managed through multiple strategies. Adaptability may be protective but requires more research. The study established a foundation for tailored, multi-level approaches to reduce loneliness among adults living with cancer. The series of prominent themes and issues identified should inform future work to codesign a complex intervention.

Key messages

• People with cancer rely on individual-level strategies in contexts where sustained or structured support is limited.

• A multi-layered complex intervention that accounts for context and accessibility is essential to address cancer-related loneliness.