Oncology Nursing Dissertation Topics: 51 Researchable Ideas for UK Students

Choosing among oncology nursing dissertation topics is easier once a few practical questions about access, ethics and measurement are settled. These are the ones worth answering first:

• Can I realistically reach patients receiving systemic anti-cancer therapy, or should I design around staff, documents or published survey data?
• Is my project research, or is it an audit or service evaluation that my Trust would handle through a different route?
• Which validated measure (CTCAE, PRO-CTCAE, the Distress Thermometer, FACIT-Fatigue) fits the outcome I want to study, and am I allowed to use it?
• Am I studying a nursing action, such as triage or assessment, or a patient experience that UK data already describe?
• Where does my topic stop and palliative, haematology or public health nursing begin?

Oncology nursing spans adult and children’s services across prevention, treatment, survivorship and end of life. The topics below centre on adult cancer care in UK, mostly NHS, settings. They touch older adult and children’s care only where the oncology angle is specific. For end-of-life questions, the palliative care nursing topics go further, while the wider nursing dissertation topics resource and the haematology dissertation topics cover neighbouring ground.

Several topics rest on policy that is still moving: the National Cancer Plan for England (published 4 February 2026), the phased roll-out of home HPV self-sampling (which began in August 2026) and the national lung cancer screening programme (roll-out due to complete by 2030). Position correct as of October 2026; check NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care for the current status.

Oncology nursing dissertation topics on acute oncology and treatment toxicity

1. Telephone triage outcomes after UKONS 24-Hour Triage Toolkit version 3 grading: a service evaluation of red, amber and green calls in one cancer unit
Version 3 launched in January 2025 and uses red, amber and green scoring to decide between self-care advice, active monitoring and face-to-face review. A service evaluation could match grades to call outcomes over a fixed period, such as three months in one tumour group. Because the data come from call logs, check early that grading is recorded consistently. This suits Master’s students who work in the unit, since HRA student guidance expects service evaluations to take place in a Trust where the student is employed. The UKONS publicly available resources hold the current toolkit.

2. Time from presentation to first antibiotic dose in suspected neutropenic sepsis against NICE CG151 and local policy: a retrospective audit on one acute oncology ward
NICE CG151 treats suspected neutropenic sepsis as an acute medical emergency and expects a risk assessment within 24 hours using a validated scoring system. An audit can test both standards. The hardest decision is where the clock starts (triage, first observations or recognition), so define it before collecting any data. This fits Master’s level. Undergraduates could instead review nurse-led recognition tools in the literature. A useful question: how often did the first dose meet the local time standard, and what delayed it when it did not?

3. Whether patients recall NICE CG151 safety-netting advice on neutropenic sepsis, and what they would do when a fever starts: a structured interview study
The guideline asks services to give written and oral information on neutropenic sepsis and on how to reach 24-hour specialist advice. Being given information is not the same as remembering it. Interviews with patients mid-treatment need NHS ethics review and are demanding for a student project. A more feasible route is to interview chemotherapy nurses, who are staff recruited by professional role, about how they deliver and check this advice. Suits Master’s or PhD.

4. Out-of-hours advice for people on radiotherapy: how well patients know when and how to use the triage line that the UKONS toolkit extends to radiotherapy
The toolkit covers people who have had radiotherapy as well as systemic therapy. Information routines may still differ between radiotherapy departments and chemotherapy units, which a document comparison could test. For example, an undergraduate could compare leaflets from several cancer centres without any patient contact. A short anonymous patient questionnaire would suit Master’s level with approval.

5. How patients and nurses use immunotherapy alert cards: a qualitative study set against the UKONS immunotherapy toxicity guidelines
The UKONS guidance covers endocrine, gastrointestinal, liver, neurological, lung, kidney and skin toxicities, so one patient may meet several services if a reaction develops. An alert card is meant to carry the warning between them. Interviews with nurses who run immunotherapy clinics, and with patients where approval allows, could show whether the card changes what happens at the emergency department door. Suits Master’s and PhD.

6. Distinguishing immune checkpoint inhibitor colitis from chemotherapy-related diarrhoea in telephone triage: a vignette study of nurse decision-making
Both problems cause diarrhoea but call for different actions, and the UKONS guidance gives the gastrointestinal toxicity its own pathway. Vignettes avoid patient data entirely: staff read written cases, choose an action, and you compare choices with an expert panel’s answers. Tanner’s clinical judgement model offers a way to explain errors. One pitfall is that vignettes test knowledge rather than behaviour, so say so in the limitations. Suits Master’s.

7. Recognising cytokine release syndrome after CAR T-cell therapy on a general ward: a vignette study using the ASTCT consensus grading
The National Cancer Plan for England commits to encouraging more care in specialist centres, and CAR T-cell treatment is concentrated there. Patients may still return to other wards with early symptoms. Fever, low blood pressure and low oxygen levels are graded in the consensus system, which supplies a ready-made standard. A vignette or document-based design is safer than a patient study. Suits PhD or a well-supported Master’s.

8. How acute oncology nurses apply NICE guidance on spinal metastases and metastatic spinal cord compression to out-of-hours calls about new back pain
Back pain in someone with known cancer can signal spinal cord compression, which needs rapid action, so the questions a nurse asks matter. A call-log audit or interview study could examine which red-flag features were recorded and how often the advice matched the guideline pathway. Check the current version of the NICE guideline before setting audit standards. Suits Master’s.

9. Nurse-led management of skin toxicity from EGFR inhibitors: a scoping review of preventive regimens and the grading scales used
Drugs such as cetuximab and erlotinib often cause an acne-like rash. A scoping review can map what has been tried (prophylactic antibiotics and emollients, for example), who delivered it and how the rash was graded, whether with CTCAE or a skin-specific scale. Follow Joanna Briggs Institute scoping methods and write the protocol first. Suits an undergraduate with a tight scope.

10. Proactive telephone monitoring for oral anti-cancer medicines: what has been tested since the 2010 UKONS position statement?
The statement urged services to consider proactive support such as routine telephone monitoring. A scoping review could chart trials and service evaluations since then. Restrict the search to one drug group, such as capecitabine, because an all-oral-chemotherapy search quickly becomes unmanageable. Suits undergraduate or Master’s.

11. Nurse assessment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: how the FACT/GOG-Ntx subscale compares with CTCAE grading in routine consultations
ASCO’s 2020 guideline update continues to support duloxetine for established painful neuropathy but does not recommend an agent to prevent it. Therefore the nursing contribution lies in early detection and in dose-modification conversations. Comparing a patient-reported scale with clinician grading needs existing audit data or approved prospective collection. Remember that ASCO guidance is American, so present it as international evidence beside UK practice. Suits Master’s or PhD.

12. Why scalp cooling is offered in some chemotherapy units and not others: a comparison of written policies and nurse-reported barriers
Pooled evidence shows scalp cooling lowers the risk of significant hair loss compared with no cooling, yet local policies diverge. Older policies describe conflicting evidence on scalp metastasis, whereas a 2016 review in the British Journal of Nursing reported no increase in risk. Small earlier research also suggests that nurses’ own views shape whether it is offered. A staff survey plus policy analysis suits Master’s. An undergraduate version could compare published patient information.

13. Safe handling of cytotoxic drugs and patient excreta on inpatient wards against HSE guidance and COSHH risk assessments: an observational audit
The Health and Safety Executive treats cytotoxic drugs as hazardous substances under COSHH, expects employers to assess risk, and notes that patients’ body fluids can contain active drug. Observation shows what happens in practice, although observed staff may behave differently, which belongs in your limitations. Checking training records is an easier first step. Suits Master’s.

14. How emergency department nurses identify patients on systemic anti-cancer therapy at triage and who they contact: an audit of triage records against UKONS acute oncology guidance
Fever or deterioration after treatment can appear first at the emergency department rather than the cancer unit. Records could show whether recent treatment was noted at triage and whether the acute oncology service was called. Access runs through Trust governance, so raise it with your supervisor early. Suits Master’s.

Cancer nursing research topics on symptom management and supportive care

15. Prehabilitation before cancer surgery or chemotherapy: how nurses screen for suitability and refer, and which outcomes services record
Prehabilitation combines exercise, nutrition and psychological support before treatment starts. A scoping review of nursing roles, or a service-mapping exercise across one Cancer Alliance, could show how much practice varies. Choose one cancer group first, colorectal surgery for example, because outcomes differ widely between groups. Suits undergraduate as a review and Master’s as a mapping exercise.

16. Acting on weight-loss triggers during head and neck radiotherapy: a record audit using the BAPEN Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)
Treatment can make swallowing painful, so weight may fall quickly. When MUST scores crossed the local action threshold, how soon were dietitian referral and feeding support recorded? Routine records spare patients any extra burden. Suits Master’s.

17. Nurse-delivered mouth care for oral mucositis during chemotherapy: a scoping review that compares WHO and CTCAE grading
Studies often mix radiotherapy-related and chemotherapy-related mucositis, so separate them at the screening stage. Comparing the two grading systems shows whether results from different trials can sit side by side. Anyone drawn to review methods may also like the evidence-based practice nursing topics. Suits undergraduate.

18. Which fatigue measure UK chemotherapy units use and how nurses act on the score: a staff survey comparing FACIT-Fatigue and the Brief Fatigue Inventory
Fatigue is among the most reported problems, yet units choose different tools or none. Check the licence terms of each instrument before you build the survey. Staff recruited by role usually face lighter ethics review than patients, although other NHS permissions can still apply. Suits undergraduate with a small survey or Master’s with several sites.

19. Handheld fans and breathing control for breathlessness in lung cancer: how nurses teach them and how patients describe using them at home
Both are low-cost, non-drug approaches. A qualitative design fits because the interest lies in how people use advice outside the clinic. Without patient access, a synthesis of existing qualitative studies works as a literature-based project. Suits Master’s for interviews and undergraduate for the synthesis.

20. Assessing pain in people with bone metastases: how nurses combine the Brief Pain Inventory with numeric rating scales
Bone pain often changes with movement, which a single resting score can miss. The pain management nursing topics cover pain broadly, whereas this topic stays with bone metastases and the choice of tool. Confirm the licence for the inventory before use. Suits Master’s.

21. Conversations about weight loss and appetite in advanced cancer: how nurses talk with patients and families about cachexia
Family distress around eating is a recurring theme in the cachexia literature, so the conversation matters beyond the nutrition plan. Observing consultations is hard to approve for students. Interviews with specialist nurses about what they say, and what they avoid saying, are more realistic. Suits PhD or Master’s.

22. Readability of radiotherapy skin care leaflets from UK cancer centres: Flesch Reading Ease scores and consistency of advice
Many Trusts publish their leaflets, so no patient contact is needed. Score each leaflet, list the advice it gives (washing, moisturisers, sun protection) and note where centres disagree. Check which readability benchmark your university accepts. This is a good undergraduate project.

Living with and beyond cancer: survivorship topics for oncology nursing projects

23. Holistic Needs Assessment at the end of treatment: variation in completion and recorded concerns across tumour groups in one service
The National Cancer Plan promises a needs assessment from diagnosis, which makes it useful to know what current practice looks like first. A service evaluation of records could report completion by tumour group, the most common concerns and the referrals that followed. Suits Master’s.

24. How people with cancer use and understand written personalised care plans, and what nurses must do to make them workable
The National Cancer Plan for England commits to a personalised care plan for everyone, with digital access through the NHS App by 2028. However, commentary in The Lancet Oncology questioned delivery detail and funding. The enduring question is whether plan content matches what patients say matters most. Because implementation is still moving, state the date of your policy position. Interview patients who already hold plans, or analyse plan templates. Suits Master’s or PhD.

25. Screening for fear of cancer recurrence with the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory severity subscale: what happens after a high score?
Published work often uses a cut-off of 13 or above on this subscale to suggest possible clinical levels, though services may set their own. The inventory is distributed through Mapi Research Trust, so confirm conditions of use. A nurse-led clinic audit could ask how many high scorers received a documented response. Suits Master’s.

26. Return to work after cancer treatment: what nursing and occupational health pathways offer, and how employees describe reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010
Under Schedule 1 of the Act, cancer counts as a disability from diagnosis, so the duty to make reasonable adjustments applies even when someone feels well. A qualitative study with survivors needs ethics approval, whereas a documentary analysis of employer and NHS guidance does not. Suits Master’s.

27. Nurses’ confidence in raising sexual health after pelvic or breast cancer treatment: a survey of training and reported barriers
UKONS has a special interest group on sexual health and well-being in cancer, so published resources exist to anchor your questions. Keep the survey anonymous and ask about confidence and training rather than personal practice. Suits undergraduate or Master’s.

28. Safety-netting in patient-initiated follow-up after breast or prostate cancer: how nurses check that patients know when and how to re-enter the service
Personalised stratified follow-up lets patients make contact when concerned instead of attending routine appointments, and NHS planning guidance has expected such pathways for breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. The PRAGMATIC study of supported self-management in breast cancer offers a model for interview design. Suits Master’s.

Communication, decisions and emotional care in cancer nursing

29. ReSPECT conversations for people receiving palliative-intent systemic therapy: who raises them, when, and how they are documented
ReSPECT is a UK-wide process led by Resuscitation Council UK, built from conversations about what matters to the person and what is realistic. A record review can show timing in relation to lines of treatment, while interviews with clinical nurse specialists can show who starts the conversation. Suits Master’s.

30. Breaking significant news in nurse-led clinics: how clinical nurse specialists use the SPIKES protocol compared with how it is taught
Approval to observe real consultations is hard for students to obtain. Interviews, or recorded simulation sessions, are more realistic. Compare what practitioners report doing with the six steps taught in training, and note where experience has changed their approach. Suits Master’s or PhD.

31. Predicting referral to psychological services from NCCN Distress Thermometer and Problem List scores in one outpatient clinic
Services choose their own cut-off, so a service evaluation can test whether it picks up the people who are later referred. Routine data avoid new burden on patients. The mental health nursing topics add ideas on wider psychological care. Suits Master’s.

32. Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among chemotherapy day-unit and acute oncology nurses, measured with the ProQOL-5
Small units give small samples, so plan recruitment across several sites. The dissertation sample size calculator helps judge what is achievable before you commit. Report subscale scores separately instead of one total. Suits undergraduate or Master’s.

33. Using the FICA spiritual history tool in oncology outpatient care: nurse confidence and what patients report being asked
Spiritual care covers belief systems of every kind, including none. Begin with an anonymous staff survey, since patient interviews need fuller approval. Suits undergraduate or Master’s.

34. How family carers recognise and respond to side effects of oral anti-cancer therapy at home, and what they say they were taught
Oral treatment moves toxicity monitoring into the home, where carers may notice problems first. Recruitment through charity groups or clinics follows different approval routes, so check which applies. Link findings to the UKONS triage advice that carers are expected to follow. Suits PhD or Master’s.

Cancer nursing research topics on screening, prevention and early diagnosis

35. Practice nurses’ views on offering HPV self-sampling to people who have not attended cervical screening during the phased NHS roll-out
NHS England began inviting nearly four million people who have not attended screening, starting with ages 30 to 65, to use home kits in August 2026, building on the YouScreen trial run by North London cancer alliances with King’s College London. Practice nurses usually take cervical samples, so their views on counselling, follow-up of positive results and workload matter. Self-testing supplements clinician-led screening rather than replacing it. Staff recruited by professional role normally do not need NHS REC review, although other NHS approvals can apply. More community-based ideas appear in the community health nursing topics. Position correct as of October 2026. Suits Master’s.

36. Smoking cessation conversations at lung cancer screening appointments: what nurses can offer and how people respond
The NHS programme invites people aged 55 to 74 with a smoking history, and the National Cancer Plan commits to completing the roll-out by 2030. Integrating cessation services with screening is a recognised programme challenge. Staff interviews or a review of cessation uptake studies both work. The public health nursing topics offer related prevention ideas. Suits Master’s.

37. Stage at diagnosis against the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of 75 per cent of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028: a secondary analysis of NHS England Digital cancer registration tables for one cancer group
Published tables give stage by cancer group, and earlier releases also include deprivation breakdowns, so check which release carries the figures you need. The nursing link is symptom awareness and referral work, so end with specific recommendations for nurses in primary care or screening. Public aggregate data usually need only university ethics, but confirm locally. Suits Master’s.

38. Explaining BRCA1 and BRCA2 results and risk-reducing options in nurse-led genetic counselling: how patients’ understanding is checked
Understanding is easy to assume and hard to verify. A review of teach-back and decision aid studies fits an undergraduate project, while interviews with genetics nurses suit Master’s. The genetics nursing dissertation topics cover counselling more broadly, so keep this one to cancer risk.

Equity and access in cancer care: topics that use published data

39. Access to a named clinical nurse specialist among respondents to the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey: differences by cancer type, age and ethnic group in published results
The survey has run annually since 2010 for NHS England and publishes results by Trust, Cancer Alliance and region. An earlier BMJ Open analysis examined minority ethnicity experience in the survey and gives a method to build on. The National Cancer Plan commits to clinical nurse specialist access for every patient, so a baseline is timely. The statistical test selector helps choose a method for comparing proportions. No patient contact is needed. Suits Master’s.

40. Interpreter use during chemotherapy consent and triage calls: an audit of documentation and a staff survey of barriers
Without a recorded offer of an interpreter, services cannot show that consent was informed. The audit asks how often an offer was documented and the survey asks why not. Pair the two so the numbers have an explanation. Suits Master’s.

41. Reasonable adjustments in cervical screening for women with learning disabilities: practice nurses’ experience of the appointment
The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on services to make reasonable adjustments, so the practical question is what that looks like in a ten-minute appointment. Interviews with practice nurses avoid the extra safeguards that research with patients with learning disabilities requires. Suits Master’s.

42. Cervical screening for trans men and non-binary people with a cervix: patient experience and what practice nurses need to know
Recruitment is the main barrier, because the population is small and approaches must be careful. A literature review is a safer undergraduate route. At Master’s or PhD level, work with a community organisation and secure ethics approval before contacting anyone.

43. Financial toxicity during cancer treatment: how nurses identify money worries and signpost benefits, travel and employment support
The National Cancer Plan includes up to £10 million a year toward travel costs for children and young people with cancer, which shows policy interest, although adult support works differently. Interview nurses about when they ask and what they can offer. Suits Master’s.

Older adults, children and young people with cancer

44. Frailty screening with the G8 tool before systemic therapy in adults aged 70 and over: nurse completion, referral for comprehensive geriatric assessment and treatment changes
A record audit can follow each screened patient from score to outcome. The geriatric nursing topics cover ageing questions beyond cancer. Suits Master’s.

45. Potentially inappropriate prescribing in older adults on oral anti-cancer drugs: a case-note review using the STOPP/START criteria
Pharmacists usually lead medication reviews, so frame the nursing contribution as recognition and escalation. Keep the sample small and specific, such as one clinic over six months. Suits Master’s.

46. What parents and children report in the Under 16 Cancer Experience Survey about information on side effects
This survey is separate from the adult one, so check which results are public before planning analysis. Children’s data raise extra ethics questions, which is a good reason to prefer published results. Ideas on wider paediatric care sit in the child health nursing topics. Suits Master’s.

47. Fertility preservation conversations with teenagers and young adults before treatment: who raises them and how they are recorded
Time pressure before treatment starts makes this conversation easy to miss. A record audit could ask how often it was documented before first treatment and who held it. Suits Master’s.

Oncology nursing workforce, safety and service design

48. Remote symptom monitoring with PRO-CTCAE during systemic therapy: nurse workload and response time to alerts in a pilot service
Define the alert thresholds first, because workload depends on them. A service evaluation can report alert volume, time to nurse response and what action followed. Suits Master’s or PhD.

49. Nurse-led chemotherapy review clinics: UKONS position statement standards compared with governance documents from two Trusts
This is a document analysis, so no patient contact is needed. Where documents are not public, a freedom of information request can obtain them. Suits undergraduate or Master’s.

50. Waiting time on the chemotherapy day unit: National Cancer Patient Experience Survey responses compared with staff accounts of chair capacity and pharmacy turnaround
The survey asks whether waiting time at the clinic and day unit felt about right, which gives a patient-side measure. Staff interviews supply the explanation. Mixed methods suit this question well. Suits Master’s.

51. How research nurses handle recruitment conversations for oncology clinical trials, and what patients remember being told
The National Cancer Plan lists expanded access to clinical trials among its priorities. Recruitment conversations are sensitive, so interviews with research nurses come before any patient work. Suits PhD.

Worked examples of oncology nursing dissertation topics with aims and objectives

Each example below turns one topic from the list into an aim with objectives that can be measured. The research aims and objectives generator can help draft similar wording for your own idea.

Triage grading and call outcomes (topic 1)

Aim: To describe how UKONS triage grades relate to call outcomes in one cancer unit over a defined three-month period.

• To classify calls by triage grade and main presenting symptom
• To record the outcome of each call as self-care advice, active monitoring or face-to-face review, and compare outcomes across grades
• To identify the documentation gaps that prevent grading from being audited, and recommend changes to the call log

Clinical nurse specialist access in national survey results (topic 39)

Aim: To compare reported access to a named clinical nurse specialist across cancer types in the published results of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

• To extract access results by cancer type, and by age and ethnic group where published
• To test whether differences between groups exceed what the published confidence intervals or counts suggest could arise by chance
• To compare the pattern with an earlier peer-reviewed analysis of minority ethnicity experience in the survey

Practice nurses and HPV self-sampling (topic 35)

Aim: To describe practice nurses’ views on offering HPV self-sampling to people who have not attended cervical screening, and the support they report needing.

• To conduct semi-structured interviews with practice nurses recruited by professional role at two or three GP practices
• To analyse transcripts using reflexive thematic analysis
• To map reported training needs against NHS England programme information for staff

Mouth care for oral mucositis (topic 17)

Aim: To map nurse-delivered interventions for oral mucositis during chemotherapy and the scales used to grade outcomes.

• To search MEDLINE, CINAHL and Embase using a protocol based on Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review guidance
• To chart intervention type, delivery setting and grading scale for each included study
• To identify which interventions have been tested in UK settings

Choosing a design and approval route for oncology nursing dissertation topics

The first decision is whether the project counts as research. The Health Research Authority offers a decision tool that gives a definite answer, and your supervisor should confirm it. Audit and service evaluation do not need HRA approval but are registered with the Trust where they take place. Research involving NHS patients usually needs HRA approval, including ethics review. Research recruiting NHS staff by virtue of their professional role does not normally need NHS research ethics review, although other NHS permissions may apply. Wales has its own equivalent body, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate routes, so a student outside England should check the local process. Projects that use only published data or literature usually go through university ethics alone.

Undergraduate projects

Most undergraduate oncology nursing projects work best as literature reviews, analyses of public documents or published survey data, or small anonymous staff surveys with approval. Patient contact is rare and rarely advisable. Students who want structured guidance on review methods can look at literature review help.

Master’s projects

Master’s students often have workplace access, which opens service evaluation, audit and staff interviews. Secondary analysis of national data suits those without clinical access. Plan a realistic schedule, because approvals add time, and the dissertation timeline planner helps map the stages.

PhD projects

Doctoral work can include prospective patient studies, mixed methods and intervention development. Allow for sponsor arrangements, data protection and staged approvals, and treat the NHS approval process as part of the research plan rather than an administrative step at the end.

Narrowing broad oncology nursing dissertation topics into one question

A good topic names a population, a setting, a tool and a data source. For example, “chemotherapy side effects” is too wide. Narrow it to recognising neutropenic sepsis, then to time to first antibiotic dose on one acute oncology ward measured against NICE CG151. Each step removes ambiguity, so the project becomes something you can finish. The guide on how to choose research topics walks through the same logic across subjects, and the guide on how to write a research question helps once the topic is set. The dissertation topic finder and the research question generator offer a quick check on a shortlist.

Mistakes that weaken oncology nursing dissertations

• Choosing an intervention trial with patients when the timeline and approvals only allow a review or audit
• Calling a project research when it is an audit, or the reverse, which affects approval and how findings can be shared
• Using an outcome tool without checking whether it needs permission or a licence
• Relying on American guidance without saying so, when a UK standard such as a NICE guideline or UKONS toolkit exists
• Staying at “oncology nursing in general” instead of fixing a setting, a tool and a time window

Next step

A shortlisted idea becomes a plan once the design, approval route and measure are written down together. Students who want structured feedback on a shortlisted topic, including methods and referencing, can explore nursing dissertation help. Any model or reference work should be used for learning and according to your institution’s policy.