A concept analysis of the existential experience of adults with advanced cancer

•Existential experience is a dynamic, fluid state.•It is preceded by confronting mortality and shaped by personal factors.•Attributes include diverse coping reactions to shared existential challenges.•Oscillation between existential suffering and existential health results.•Findings can enhance clinician ability to attend to the existential domain. Attention to the existential dimension of an individual's experience during serious illness is important. However, existential concerns continue to be poorly defined in literature, leading to neglect in the clinical realm. This concept analysis seeks to clarify the concept of the existential experience within the context of adults with advanced cancer. Rodgers’ evolutionary method of concept analysis was used. Existential experience in adults with advanced cancer is a dynamic state, preceded by confronting mortality, defined by diverse reactions to shared existential challenges related to the parameters of existence (body, time, others, and death), resulting in a dialectical movement between existential suffering and existential health, with capacity for personal growth. Personal factors and the ability to cope appear to influence this experience. These findings can drive future research and enhance clinician ability to attend to the existential domain, thereby improving patient experience at end-of-life.