Photovoice Utilization for Research in Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose. Photovoice integrates photography with narrative storytelling to examine lived experiences of participants. This review synthesizes the applications of photovoice in cancer survivorship research, focusing on study populations, emergent themes, and employed methods. Methods. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for this review. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus from database inception through April 12, 2025. Two reviewers independently screened 325 records in Covidence and extracted study characteristics, methods, key findings, and recommendations from the included studies. We used narrative synthesis to integrate the findings of the included studies. We appraised study quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Qualitative Checklist and excluded the studies rated weak. Results. Twenty-six studies were included. Sample sizes ranged from 3 to 316; 20/26 studies enrolled 20 participants or fewer with male survivors were underrepresented (7/26 studies were female only). Findings were clustered into four domains: psychosocial and emotional experiences (26/26), systems of care and structural barriers (19/26), agency/expression/advocacy (23/26), and health behavior/lifestyle change (6/26). Studies rarely reported community dissemination, participant co-analysis/member checking, or detailed ethical protocols. Conclusions. Photovoice is increasingly used to capture survivor perspectives, but the depth of participation and consistency of reporting vary. By centering survivor perspectives rarely captured in survivorship research, this study addresses a critical gap and generates insights to inform patient-centered survivorship care. Future work should strengthen transparent methods reporting, ethical safeguards (including confidentiality and image ownership), inclusive recruitment strategies, and integration of photovoice into interventions and policy efforts.