Abstract Introductory sentence: Social needs such as food insecurity, transportation barriers, and housing instability contribute to delayed, forgone, or poor adherence to cancer care. Interventions targeting social needs offer a promising approach to reducing access barriers and support patients navigating cancer care. This scoping review synthesizes published research on interventions addressing unmet social needs during cancer care to identify evidence gaps and inform future research and practice. Methods: Using six databases, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, we identified and analyzed original intervention studies published between 2010 and 2023 that assessed food, transportation, and housing challenges across the cancer care continuum. Studies were eligible if they: focused on cancer patients and survivors in the U.S.; used an experimental design; and were conducted along the cancer care continuum. Screening was completed in Covidence by two independent reviewers in two phases: (1) title and abstract, and (2) full text. Disagreements were resolved through weekly team discussions. Data abstraction was conducted in Qualtrics across nine pre-specified categories. Interventions were mapped to the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Social Care Framework domains. Results: Thirteen studies met inclusion criteria, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (n=6), non-RCTs (n=3), non-controlled trials (n=3), and one quality improvement project. Sample sizes ranged from 8 to 801 participants. Methodological approaches included: quantitative (n=8), mixed methods (n=3), qualitative (n=1), and quasi-experimental (n=1). Over half of the studies (53%) targeted populations experiencing health disparities (e.g., racial and ethnic minorities). Most interventions (77%) were implemented during the active treatment phase of cancer care. Nearly all studies (92%) addressed transportation-related barriers (e.g., distance traveled (50%), travel costs (33%), and commute time (25%)), with some interventions addressing multiple dimensions. Studies were most frequently aligned with the Assistance domain (92%) of the NASEM framework, followed by Awareness (69%), Adjustment (46%), and Alignment (8%), with several interventions addressing multiple domains. Conclusion: These studies highlight the predominance of transportation-focused interventions in cancer care, with limited attention to food or housing insecurity. While transportation barriers may offer a practical entry point for reducing access barriers, more structurally complex social needs remain under-addressed. Few interventions addressed the Alignment and Advocacy domains of the NASEM framework, suggesting opportunities for upstream, system and community-level strategies to facilitate integration of social care into diverse cancer care settings. Given the disproportionate burden of unmet social needs among marginalized populations, evidence-based interventions are needed to improve cancer health equity. Citation Format: Victoria M. Telles Carol Y. Ochoa-Dominguez, Janeth I. Sanchez, Brenda A. Adjei, Angel Arizpe, Daniel Sabater-Minarim, Averston Worthy, Mateo P. Banegas. Interventions addressing social needs during cancer care: A scoping review abstract. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr C103.
Telles et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: