SynthesisJournal of psychosomatic research2013
Effects of screening for psychological distress on patient outcomes in cancer: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of psychosomatic research, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 133 citations in OpenAlex.
- EMDR in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Pooled it
- Distress Management, Version 3.2019, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2019Guideline
- Systematic screening and assessment of psychosocial well-being and care needs of people with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions to improve screening and appropriate referral of patients with cancer for psychosocial distress: systematic review.BMJ open · 2018Pooled it
- Psychosocial Follow-Up in Survivorship as a Standard of Care in Pediatric Oncology.Pediatric blood & cancer · 2015Pooled it
- Reliability and validity of depression assessment among persons with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) · 2014Pooled it
- Impact of a Multidisciplinary Supportive Care Model Using Distress Screening at an Asian Ambulatory Cancer Center: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.JCO oncology practice · 2024Trial
- Evaluation of an electronic psycho-oncological adaptive screening program (EPAS) with immediate patient feedback: findings from a German cluster intervention study.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2022Trial
- Clinical Decision Support for Symptom Management in Lung Cancer Patients: A Group RCT.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2022Trial
- The specialized educational and psychological counseling in inflammatory bowel disease patients - a target or a challenge?The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology · 2020Trial
- Economic evaluation of a combined screening and stepped-care treatment program targeting psychological distress in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: A cluster randomized controlled trial.Palliative medicine · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Evaluation of a specialized oncology nursing supportive care intervention in newly diagnosed breast and colorectal cancer patients following surgery: a cluster randomized trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Identifying and Addressing Distress in Cancer Care: A Study of Screening Outcomes and Referrals in Australian Oncology Outpatients.Psycho-oncology · 2026Article
- Gender role in radiotherapy: psychosocial differences between males and females during cancer care : Single-centre report on adult and paediatric oncological patients.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026Article
- Patient Satisfaction and Supportive Care Pathways in a German Head and Neck Tumor Center: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Providing Outpatient Oncology Mental Health Support: Understanding Staff Perspectives.Psycho-oncology · 2025Article
- Mental Health Challenges in Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Depression and Anxiety.Cancers · 2024Article
- Proof of concept: Predicting distress in cancer patients using back propagation neural network (BPNN).Heliyon · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveSeveral practice guidelines recommend routine screening for psychological distress in cancer care. The objective was to evaluate the effect of screening cancer patients for psychological distress by assessing the (1) effectiveness of interventions to reduce distress among patients identified as distressed; and (2) effects of screening for distress on distress outcomes.
methodsCINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, ISI, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS databases were searched through April 6, 2011 with manual searches of 45 relevant journals, reference list review, citation tracking of included articles, and trial registry reviews through June 30, 2012. Articles in any language on cancer patients were included if they (1) compared treatment for patients with psychological distress to placebo or usual care in a randomized controlled trial (RCT); or (2) assessed the effect of screening on psychological distress in a RCT.
resultsThere were 14 eligible RCTs for treatment of distress, and 1 RCT on the effects of screening on patient distress. Pharmacological, psychotherapy and collaborative care interventions generally reduced distress with small to moderate effects. One study investigated effects of screening for distress on psychological outcomes, and it found no improvement.
conclusionTreatment studies reported modest improvement in distress symptoms, but only a single eligible study was found on the effects of screening cancer patients for distress, and distress did not improve in screened patients versus those receiving usual care. Because of the lack of evidence of beneficial effects of screening cancer patients for distress, it is premature to recommend or mandate implementation of routine screening.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.