ArticlePloS one2022
Cancer symptom clusters in adult patients undergoing chemotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trends in Early-Onset Cancer Incidence Rates in Latin America: A Scoping Review Protocol.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Symptom Clusters in Brazilian Women With Stage I and Stage III Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study.The breast journal · 2026Article
- Effect of symptom clusters on quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Cancer Symptom Clusters in Children and Adolescents with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Review
- Cancer symptom cluster in hospitalized women with breast cancer: a descriptive observational study.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2025Observational
- Article
- Effects on communication due to face mask use: an integrative review.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2023Review
- Health Policies for Rare Disease Patients: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Biomarkers of stress in caregivers of children with special health care needs: A protocol for systematic review.Medicine · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn oncology, the prevalence of symptoms is preferentially analyzed in isolation instead of being considered in clusters. However, clinical practice shows that symptoms rarely occur separately but rather form clusters that share common underlying mechanisms in terms of intensity and severity, creating a synergistic effect among them, which can even help predict the development of future symptoms.
objectiveTo identify and gather evidence on the prevalence, composition, severity, and predictors of cancer symptom clusters in adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
methodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis protocol was developed in compliance with PRISMA-P. Observational and experimental study designs will be included. MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS, clinical trials.gov-NIH, the British Library, Google Scholar, and preprints [medRXiv] will be searched with no restrictions on idioms, dates, or settings. Two investigators will independently select the studies, perform data extraction, and critically appraise the risk of bias of the included studies. Heterogeneity among the studies will be assessed using the I2 statistic. If meta-analysis was feasible, a random-effect model analysis will be carried out. For data analysis, the pooled effect will be estimated considering 95% confidence interval and α = 5%. In addition, the certainty of evidence will be rated based on Cochrane methods in accordance with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this systematic review and meta-analysis will be the first to identify and critically assess evidence regarding the prevalence, composition, severity, and predictors of cancer symptom clusters in adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. We intend to provide health professionals with subsidies to reflect on a better understanding of symptom clusters in adult cancer patients, with the aim of contributing to the development of evidence-based therapeutic interventions and success in clinical practice. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021248406.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.