Gynaecological cancers affect millions of people worldwide, with over 1.4 million cases reported in 2022 alone. Beyond surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, women and people assigned or presumed female at birth live with ongoing physical, psychological, and social burdens. Yet, existing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines offer limited direction on how to best embed psychological care across the patient pathway.

This Behind the Paper post shares the story of a planned study - “Turning the Page: Evaluating the feasibility of online Shared Reading (oSR) for gynaecological cancers” - a pilot that will explore whether an online literature-based group may improve the wellbeing of people affected by gynaecological cancers.  

What inspired this study?

Research indicates that those affected by gynaecological cancer experience anxiety, low mood, fear of recurrence, disrupted identity, or isolation following cancer, and often perceive that their emotional needs are viewed as secondary in importance to scans and follow-up appointments. Although psychological interventions can be effective in supporting wellbeing, they frequently require substantial time commitment, specialist expertise, and timely access, all of which may be constrained by healthcare system capacity and waiting lists.

In contrast, creative arts and literature-based digital health interventions have shown promise in supporting wellbeing, social connection, and emotional expression across diverse settings, including community mental health, dementia care, and long-term physical conditions. One such example is Shared Reading, developed by the UK charity The Reader, where small groups read literature aloud together and discuss thoughts, feelings, and memories prompted by the text.​

Despite promising evidence, Shared Reading has never been tried in gynaecological oncology, and there has been little early-stage research to show whether arts-and-health interventions could psychologically support those affected by gynaecological cancers. The move towards digital health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic now offers a timely opportunity to explore an online version of Shared Reading, tailored specifically for this group.

What is online Shared Reading?

In traditional Shared Reading, a trained facilitator (“Reader Leader”) guides a small group through poems, short stories, or novel extracts, pausing regularly to invite reflection and discussion. Participants are not required to talk about themselves directly; instead, they can explore themes such as loss, hope, uncertainty, or resilience through the experiences of characters on the page.​ Importantly, the group is intended as a non-clinical space. It is not therapy, and there is no expectation of disclosure.

In “Turning the Page”, online Shared Reading mirrors the core elements of in-person groups but takes place on a virtual platform. Texts will be shown on screen, and participants will be able to take part in discussions either by speaking or using the chat function. This will allow flexibility among those with caring responsibilities, mobility or travel constraints, fatigue or treatment-related side effects, or those experiencing discomfort speaking in group settings.

How is the study designed?

“Turning the Page” will be a pilot feasibility study. This means the main aim is to assess whether online Shared Reading can work in practice as a form of support for those affected by gynaecological cancers, and how we can best tailor the intervention in the future.

The research team plan to invite up to 10 participants aged 18 and over with a primary diagnosis of gynaecological cancer to join a six-week reading group.​ Broadly, the study will provide researchers with useful information about recruitment, attendance, and the acceptability of questionnaires. These questionnaires will be provided to participants before, during, and after the reading group, and will ask participants about individual-level outcomes relating to psychological distress, wellbeing, and quality of life.

At the end of the six weeks, interviews and session feedback will then explore participant’s experience of the intervention, what they found helpful (or unhelpful), and how context shaped engagement and impact.​ By bringing together these insights, the study aims to capture both whether online Shared Reading is an acceptable form of support, and how it might work in practice, for whom, and under which circumstances.​

What has been surprising or insightful so far?

The study is still at recruitment stage, however, previous Shared Reading research suggests that participants value it not only for social connection, but also for the opportunity to reconnect with parts of themselves that can feel overshadowed by illness. What makes “Turning the Page” distinctive is that, to the authors’ knowledge, it will be the first study to bring Shared Reading into gynaecological oncology, and the first to adapt it specifically as an online group for this population.

Why does this work matter?

Although small in scale, this study aims to address an important gap in care. If online Shared Reading proves acceptable and practical, it could offer a scalable, relatively low-cost, and person-centred option that may sit alongside existing psychological and supportive care services.

The work also aligns with the NHS Long Term Plan’s commitment to personalised, integrated care, and the call for better access to psychosocial support for people living with and beyond cancer. More broadly, it will contribute to a growing evidence base on how creative, story-based interventions may complement medical treatment, and support emotional recovery and social connection.​

Ultimately, "Turning the Page" asks how reading together might help people navigate life during and after gynaecological cancer – not necessarily by offering answers, but by opening space for shared reflection, meaning-making, and human connection amidst uncertainty.