Progress in researches on association of health literacy with health outcome among cancer patients

Cancer is increasingly prevalent and seriously endangering human health. Although some progresses have been achieved in researches on multiple treatments of cancer with the development of medical science, the subjective initiative of each individual still plays an irreplaceable role in improving the prognosis among cancer patients. Health literacy, as an individual′s “internal cause”, involves the individual′s education level, mental health, self-care capability, and other traits. A cancer patient′s health literacy may exert an important impact on the health outcome of the patient. The study reviews advances in researches on different health outcomes of cancer patients associated with disparities in their health literacy in order to provide new ideas and methods for improving the prognosis and quality of life of cancer patients from a public health perspective.