Abstract: Objective: To systematically evaluate the experience of disease communication between husband and wife in cancer patients. Methods: Databases were searched for qualitative studies on the experience of disease communication between husband and wife in cancer patients from inception to December, 2021. The quality of the included studies was evaluated by the qualitative research quality evaluation tool (2017) Joanna Briggs Institute. Findings were integrated by Meta integration. Results: There were 9 studies finally included, forty-four topics summarized into 3 over-arching themes and 7 sub-themes. Theme 1: Challenges in the communication between cancer patients and their spouses. Theme 2: Believing in the role of positive communication and desiring for the open communication of disease information. Theme 3: Hoping to get communication guidance and seeking communication support besides spouses. Conclusion: There are communication challenges in the disease communication between husband and wife in cancer patients. Avoiding talking about sensitive topics and needing social support are emphasized particularly. Open communication and providing necessary communication skills are very important to promote the intimate relationship of cancer patients and improve their quality of life.

Key words: cancer; spouse; disease communication; qualitative research; Meta-synthesis