SynthesisIntegrative cancer therapies
A Systematic Literature Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Oncology (Part I): Methods and Results.
Synthesis in Integrative cancer therapies. 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.
- A Systematic Literature Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Oncology (Part II): Theoretical Mechanisms and Frameworks.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Therapy Dog Presence During Chemotherapy in a Day Chemotherapy Unit: A Prospective Pilot Comparative Pre-Post Study.Cureus · 2026Article
- Animal-Assisted Psychoeducational Intervention in Paediatric Oncohaematology: Evidence from a Single-Centre Observational Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring the Dynamics of Canine-Assisted Interactions: A Wearable Approach to Understanding Interspecies Well-Being.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Consensus Statement on Animals' Relationship with Pediatric Oncohematological Patients, on Behalf of Infectious Diseases and Nurse Working Groups of the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Animal-Assisted Interventions for Children with Advanced Cancer: Child and Parent Perceptions.Palliative medicine reports · 2021Article
- Letter: The Choice of Control Conditions in Animal-Assisted Intervention Research.Integrative cancer therapiesArticle
- Factors Influencing Physical Activity in Cancer Patients During Oncological Treatments: A Qualitative Study.Integrative cancer therapiesArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) use human-animal interactions to positive effect in various contexts including cancer care. As the first installment of a 2-part series, this systematic literature review focuses on the research methods and quantitative results of AAI studies in oncology. We find methodological consistency in the use of canines as therapy animals, in the types of high-risk patients excluded from studies, and in the infection precautions taken with therapy animals throughout cancer wards. The investigated patient endpoints are not significantly affected by AAI, with the exceptions of improvements in oxygen consumption, quality of life, depression, mood, and satisfaction with therapy. The AAI field in oncology has progressed significantly since its inception and has great potential to positively affect future patient outcomes. To advance the field, future research should consistently improve the methodological design of studies, report data more completely, and focus more on the therapy animal's well-being.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.