Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36089413›Full record

SynthesisSeminars in oncology2022

The psychosocial and emotional experiences of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

A Muls, S Georgopoulou, E Hainsworth, B Hartley, G O'Gara, S Stapleton, S Cruickshank

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Seminars in oncology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
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

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

A MulsThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK. Electronic address: ann.muls@rmh.nhs.uk.
S GeorgopoulouThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
E HainsworthThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
B HartleyThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
G O'GaraThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
S StapletonThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
S CruickshankThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

Department of Health
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCOVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th, 2020. Global social lockdowns were instigated to reduce spread and prevent health-services from becoming overwhelmed. People having treatment for cancer are known to have heightened psychological/emotional burden. The combined impact of managing pandemic regulations alongside this may present additional burden. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine current evidence of the psychological and emotional impact of COVID-19 on people with cancer, early in the pandemic.

methodsFive electronic databases were searched (Embase, Global Health, HMIC, PsychINFO, CINAHL) from September 2019 to October 2021. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method primary research studies exploring emotional and psychological impacts of COVID-19 on cancer patients, limited to English language, were included. Quality appraisal was conducted using the MMAT.

resultsFifty-one papers, with 27,356 people from 21 countries treated for cancer, were included. 43 studies were quantitative with a survey method approach, six studies qualitative and four used a mixed methods design. MMAT score was mostly two or three. Four themes were identified: Emotional aspects and Quality of Life; Psychosocial aspects; Impact of COVID-19 on self; Impact of COVID-19 on cancer, with themes overlapping.

conclusionWhilst emotional/psychological impacts such as anxiety, isolation, employment fears, and uncertainty about the future were potentially universal concerns early in the pandemic, they may have been particularly acute for people living with cancer and represent complex, overlapping factors. As COVID-19 continues to impact health-services and society, it is important to focus on any ongoing impact to the experience of cancer patients. Most of the studies reviewed used tools that do not provide deeper understanding of how and why emotional states of people with cancer were affected. Further qualitative work may reveal patterns of what was unique to cancer patients during the pandemic, compared to general populations.

Indexed as

COVID-19NeoplasmsCommunicable Disease ControlHumansPandemicsQuality of LifeCancerCOVID-19Emotional impactExperiencePsychological impactSystematic literature review

Identifiers

PMID36089413
PMCPMC9393184
OpenAlexW4292553244

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.