SynthesisJournal of cancer research and clinical oncology2023
How effective is peer-to-peer support in cancer patients and survivors? A systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
45 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- JPOS/JASCC clinical guidelines for psychological distress in adult cancer patients: a summary of recommendations.Japanese journal of clinical oncology · 2026Guideline
- Perceived Effectiveness of Components of Interventions to Support People Bereaved By Suicide.Crisis · 2025Pooled it
- Peer2Me - impact of peer support on self-efficacy in young adult cancer survivors (YA-CS): findings from a comprehensive cohort design.BMC cancer · 2025Trial
- Urologists' Estimation of Online Support Group Utilization Behavior of Their Patients With Newly Diagnosed Nonmetastatic Prostate Cancer in Germany: Predefined Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Patient and Caregiver Information-seeking in Lung Cancer Treatment: A Real-world Sentiment Analysis of Reddit Communities.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2026Article
- From Clinical Reality to Blueprint Designing: A Qualitative Study Exploring Communication Challenges and Unmet Needs for Patient Decision Aid Development in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.Psycho-oncology · 2026Observational
- The role of social engagement and support in the association between combined caregiver-cancer survivor status and depressive symptoms.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- Peer support needs and engagement among people with multiple sclerosis: Associations with social support, loneliness and wellbeing: A cross-sectional study.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Multidisciplinary management of advanced ovarian cancer in Spain: expert recommendations for achieving maximum survival and improving patient care.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Review
- "A Much Needed Specialist Service": Patient Perspectives on Hereditary Cancer Risk Psychology Service Delivery and Future Service Development.Psycho-oncology · 2026Article
- Group medical visits in cancer survivorship care: a scoping review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Article
- Developing and Evaluating an Inpatient Caregiver Support Program: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Perceived Impact.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2026Article
- Creating a neuro-oncology framework for an empowered and engaged peer volunteer patient community.Neuro-oncology practice · 2026Article
- Psychological impact of exceptional response in people with advanced cancer: a qualitative exploration.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Article
- Psychosocial and cultural determinants of resilience among clinically stable breast cancer survivors post-chemotherapy in a tertiary care setting in Ghana.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Navigating isolation- barriers and multidimensional support needs in symptom self-management for HSCT patients within laminar airflow rooms: a descriptive qualitative study.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Cancer survivors' attitudes toward service delivery formats for interventions targeting cognitive impairments: a survey study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Exploring the REACHOUT Mental Health Support App for Type 1 Diabetes From the Perspectives of Recipients and Providers of Peer Support: Qualitative Study.JMIR diabetes · 2026Article
- Self-reported patient experiences in a peer-support community: What do cancer patients value?Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Beyond survival: psychoneuroimmunology-driven cancer psychological rehabilitation-a paradigm shift from symptom management to biobehavioral remodeling.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCore components of peer-to-peer (PTP) support for cancer survivors include informational, emotional, and psychosocial aspects. Previous literature on peer support in cancer includes both professionally and peer-led support. Our objective was to summarize studies on the effects of non-professionally led PTP support in cancer.
methodsWe performed a systematic research on studies in PTP support of adult cancer survivors with an interventional design, comparing outcomes of PTP support against any control. We included all studies with a precise definition of a PTP support, published from January 2000 up to March 2023 in peer-reviewed journals in English or German.
resultsOut of N = 609 identified publications, we were are able to include n = 18 randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) fulfilling our inclusion criteria. Main settings were dyadic support via telephone, face-to-face (FTF), and web-based online support. Most common outcomes were distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and quality of life (QoL). Overall, we found only small effects of PTP support on depression/anxiety, coping, or sexual functioning. Beneficial effects associated with the PTP intervention were apparent in particular in BRCA, in FTF settings, and in assessments of cancer-specific QoL outcomes.
conclusionThis review shows that there are a few RCT investigating the effect of PTP support with short-term effects. Overall, there is a need for more RCTs with high methodological standards to evaluate the effectiveness of PTP support.
Indexed as
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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.