Introduction:

effective communication with the nursing team contributes to reducing the suffering of hospitalized adolescents with cancer. Therefore, the aim is to analyze the perceptions of nurses working in pediatric oncology regarding their communication with adolescents with cancer.

Method:

this is an exploratory qualitative study involving eight nurses working in pediatric oncology in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Data collection took place between June 2021 and January 2022, and the analysis of transcribed interviews was conducted through thematic analysis.

Results:

two themes were identified. In “Different approaches to communication”, the strategies used to establish rapport with adolescents are demonstrated, including humor and discipline. In the theme “Proximity to death”, the nurses’ difficulty in dealing with end-of-life issues is highlighted, representing a barrier to communication. Discussion: nurses’ communication is filled with techniques to strengthen bonds. However, communicating with adolescents with cancer is overshadowed by the perception of death, hindering their emotional availability to provide necessary emotional support.

Conclusion:

the difficulty these professionals face in confronting death represents a barrier to communication, necessitating preparedness in undergraduate education to work with this issue.

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