Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29361206›Full record

SynthesisPsycho-oncology2018

Effects and moderators of psychosocial interventions on quality of life, and emotional and social function in patients with cancer: An individual patient data meta-analysis of 22 RCTs.

J Kalter, I M Verdonck-de Leeuw, M G Sweegers, N K Aaronson, P B Jacobsen, R U Newton, K S Courneya, J F Aitken, J Armes, C Arving and 26 more

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Psycho-oncology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
60citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

60 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  4. Psychosocial interventions to improve quality of life in Hispanic cancer survivors: a meta-analysis.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2025
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  13. A randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of life review therapy targeting incurably ill cancer patients: do their informal caregivers benefit?Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021
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  15. Finding My Way: results of a multicentre RCT evaluating a web-based self-guided psychosocial intervention for newly diagnosed cancer survivors.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2019
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

36 authors.

J KalterDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
I M Verdonck-de LeeuwDepartment of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
M G SweegersDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
N K AaronsonDivision of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2574-4850
P B JacobsenDivision of Cancer Control and Population Science, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, FL, USA.
R U NewtonExercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia.
K S CourneyaFaculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
J F AitkenMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, Australia.
J ArmesFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
C ArvingDepartment of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
L J BoersmaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center (MAASTRO clinic), Maastricht, The Netherlands.
A M J BraamseDepartment of Medical Psychology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Y BrandbergDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
S K ChambersMenzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Southport, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2369-6111
J DekkerDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
K EllDepartment of Adults and Healthy Aging, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
R J FergusonDivision of Hematology-Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
M F M GielissenDepartment of Medical Psychology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
B GlimeliusDepartment of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
M M GoedendorpDepartment of Health Psychology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
K D GravesLombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
S P HeineyCollege of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
R HorneUCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK.
M S HunterInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
B JohanssonDepartment of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
M L KimmanDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Technology Assessment, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
H KnoopDepartment of Medical Psychology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
K MenesesUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Nursing, Birmingham, AL, USA.
L L NorthouseUniversity of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
H S OldenburgDepartment of Surgical Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
J B PrinsDepartment of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
J SavardSchool of Psychology, Université Laval and Laval University Cancer Research Center, Québec, QC, Canada.
M van BeurdenDepartment of Gynecology, Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
S W van den BergDepartment of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
J BrugDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
L M BuffartDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8095-436X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of psychosocial interventions (PSI) on quality of life (QoL), emotional function (EF), and social function (SF) in patients with cancer, and to study moderator effects of demographic, clinical, personal, and intervention-related characteristics.

methodsRelevant studies were identified via literature searches in 4 databases. We pooled IPD from 22 (n = 4217) of 61 eligible randomized controlled trials. Linear mixed-effect model analyses were used to study intervention effects on the post-intervention values of QoL, EF, and SF (z-scores), adjusting for baseline values, age, and cancer type. We studied moderator effects by testing interactions with the intervention for demographic, clinical, personal, and intervention-related characteristics, and conducted subsequent stratified analyses for significant moderator variables.

resultsPSI significantly improved QoL (β = 0.14,95%CI = 0.06;0.21), EF (β = 0.13,95%CI = 0.05;0.20), and SF (β = 0.10,95%CI = 0.03;0.18). Significant differences in effects of different types of PSI were found, with largest effects of psychotherapy. The effects of coping skills training were moderated by age, treatment type, and targeted interventions. Effects of psychotherapy on EF may be moderated by cancer type, but these analyses were based on 2 randomized controlled trials with small sample sizes of some cancer types.

conclusionsPSI significantly improved QoL, EF, and SF, with small overall effects. However, the effects differed by several demographic, clinical, personal, and intervention-related characteristics. Our study highlights the beneficial effects of coping skills training in patients treated with chemotherapy, the importance of targeted interventions, and the need of developing interventions tailored to the specific needs of elderly patients.

Indexed as

Emotional AdjustmentPsychotherapySocial AdjustmentAdultAgedFemaleHumansIndividualityMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsPsychiatric RehabilitationQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as Topiccoping skills trainingindividual patient data meta-analysisneoplasmpsychosocial carepsychotherapyquality of life

Identifiers

PMID29361206
PMCPMC5947559

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.