Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38682457›Full record

SynthesisActa oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden)2024

The effect of psychosocial interventions for sexual health in patients with pelvic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Samuel Ask, Kristina Schildmeijer, Viktor Kaldo, Amanda Hellström

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. 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

4 authors.

Samuel AskDepartment of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden. samuel.ask@lnu.se.
Kristina SchildmeijerDepartment of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.
Viktor KaldoDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden; Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Sweden.
Amanda HellströmDepartment of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore and evaluate the effect of psychosocial interventions in improving sexual health outcomes among post-treatment patients with pelvic cancer.

methodsInclusion and exclusion criteria were pelvic cancer survivors; psychosocial interventions; studies with a control group and measures of sexual health. Five databases were searched for literature along with an inspection of the included studies' reference lists to extend the search. Risk of bias was assessed with the RoB2 tool. Standardised mean difference (SMD) with a random effects model was used to determine the effect size of psychosocial interventions for sexual health in patients with pelvic cancers.

resultsThirteen studies were included, with a total number of 1,541 participants. There was a large heterogeneity regarding the type of psychosocial intervention used with the source found in a leave one out analysis. Six studies showed statistically significant improvements in sexual health, while three showed positive but non-significant effects. The summary effect size estimate was small SMD = 0.24 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05 to 0.42, p = 0.01). DISCUSSION: There is limited research on psychosocial interventions for sexual health in pelvic cancer patients. There are also limitations in the different pelvic cancer diagnoses examined. Commonly, the included articles examined physical function rather than the whole sexual health spectrum. The small effect sizes may in part be due to evaluation of psychosocial interventions by measuring physical dysfunction. Future research should broaden sexual health assessment tools and expand investigations to more cancer types.

Indexed as

Pelvic NeoplasmsPsychosocial InterventionSexual HealthCancer SurvivorsFemaleHumansQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID38682457
PMCPMC11332557

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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.