Financial toxicity among families of children with cancer: a qualitative systematic review and meta-aggregation.
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OBJECTIVE: To synthesize qualitative evidence on how financial toxicity is experienced, sustained, and managed at the family level in pediatric cancer. DESIGN: A qualitative systematic review using meta-aggregation. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and three major Chinese databases (CNKI, WanFang, VIP) were searched up to May 2025. METHODS: Two reviewers independently conducted study screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion and team consensus. Meta-aggregation was applied to synthesize findings. RESULTS: Fourteen studies of moderate-to-high methodological quality, involving 524 participants (primarily parents of children with cancer) from seven countries, were included. Thirty-eight initial findings were aggregated into 10 categories and further synthesized into three final findings: (1) Financial toxicity arose from the accumulation of direct medical costs, indirect expenses, income loss due to employment disruption, and inadequate insurance or social support; (2) These financial pressures compromised family economic security and were associated with debt, reduced living standards, long-term financial vulnerability, and psychosocial impacts; (3) Families attempted to manage financial toxicity through external financial assistance and reorganization of life around the child's treatment, although such strategies often provided only partial relief. CONCLUSIONS: Financial toxicity in pediatric oncology is a sustained and family-level burden that undermines household stability beyond clinical treatment phases. The limited effectiveness of existing coping strategies highlights structural gaps in supportive care. Early identification of financial risk, family-centered counseling, and coordinated system-level support may mitigate long-term consequences and promote more equitable survivorship outcomes. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: This review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO, the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42024519179). Available from https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024519179 .