Background: The increasing number of patients diagnosed, treated, and surviving cancer, represents a major challenge for the health-care all over the world in order to meet patients’ needs of surveillance, rehabilitation and supportive care. In order to deliver high quality care, the cancer nurse specialists’ role, skills and competence need to be adjusted to meet this challenges.   

Aim: The aim was to review cancer nurse specialists’ field of competence, role and responsibility in a global perspective.

Design and method: A qualitative content analysis content with deductive approach of 16 national and international documents.

Results: Four themes describe the role and competence framework for cancer nurse specialists. The nursing process describe the specific areas of competence within the trajectory of care focusing on prevention of cancer, cancer care and treatment, specialised care and rehabilitation during the entire care process, cancer survivorship, cancer as a chronic disease, palliative care and end of life care. Remaining three themes focused Leadership, Continuous professional development/ Educator and Evidence based care and quality improvement.

Conclusion: Cancer nurse specialists has a key role for providing comprehensive supportive care to patients during the whole trajectory of care with emphasis on patients’ symptoms, problems and needs. This area of competence together with leadership, continuous professional development, role as educator and responsibility for evidence based care and quality improvement is evident in the revised Swedish competence framework for cancer nurse specialists.