SynthesisBMC palliative care2019
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of palliative care for pain among Chinese adults with cancer.
Synthesis in BMC palliative care, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effect of nonpharmacological interventions on poststroke depression: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Palliative Care in Shanghai Communities: Needs, Influencing Factors and Preferences Among Older Adults with Chronic Diseases.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Dimensions of spiritual well-being in relation to physical and psychological symptoms: a cross-sectional study of advanced cancer patients admitted to a palliative care unit.BMC palliative care · 2023Article
- Article
- Similarities and differences between China and Sweden regarding the core features of palliative care for people aged 60 or older: a systematic scoping review.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Regional and age differences in specialised palliative care for patients with pancreatic cancer.BMC palliative care · 2021Article
- Longitudinal changes in spiritual well-being and associations with emotional distress, pain, and optimism-pessimism: a prospective observational study of terminal cancer patients admitted to a palliative care unit.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Observational
- Underutilization of Palliative Care in Metastatic Foregut Cancer Patients Is Associated with Socioeconomic Disparities.Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPain is one of the most common symptoms that has a severe impact on quality of life and is associated with numerous psychosocial issues in cancer patients. Palliative care, which is a recent development in China, mainly focuses on symptom control and provides psychosocial support in order to improve quality of life for terminally ill patients. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of palliative care on cancer pain in China.
methodsThe four most comprehensive Chinese academic databases-CNKI, Wanfang, Vip and CBM-were searched from their inception until July 2019. Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO and internet search (Google and Google Scholar) were also searched. Randomized controlled studies assessing the effects of palliative care on cancer pain were analyzed. The pooled random-effect estimates of standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Subgroup analysis was conducted by moderating factors for heterogeneity.
resultsThe present meta-analysis included 18 studies with a total of 1370 patients. The random-effect model showed a significant effect size of palliative care on cancer pain (SMD = 1.475, p < 0.001; 95% CI = 1.071-1.878). Age, pharmacological/non-pharmacological strategies and publication date could account for the heterogeneity through subgroup analysis to some extent.
conclusionsPalliative care was largely effective for relieving pain among Chinese adults with cancer, indicating that an adequate system should be urgently established to provide palliative care for cancer patients in Chinese medical settings. However, given the extent of heterogeneity, our findings should be interpreted cautiously.
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