SynthesisBMC cancer2025
Vagal nerve activity and cancer prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Central nervous system and cancer: mechanistic insights and therapeutic opportunities CNS and cancer: a review.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2026Review
- Chronic stress and cancer progression through neuro‑endocrine‑immune networks (Review).Oncology reports · 2026Review
- Article
- Neuron-tumor interplay in colorectal cancer: from mechanisms of onset and progression to targeted therapies.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- Key role of the autonomic nervous system in breast cancer (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2026Review
- Neuro-Immune Crosstalk: Molecular Mechanisms, Biological Functions, Diseases, and Therapeutic Targets.MedComm · 2026Review
- From neuro-immune command circuits to microbiota-mediated regulation in the gastrointestinal tumor microenvironment.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in breast cancer: a neuroimmune model to improve quality of life.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Biostrap Kairos Wristband Versus Electrocardiography for Resting Heart Rate Variability Assessment.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe prognostic significance of vagal nerve (VN) activity, as measured by heart rate variability (HRV) in cancer patients remains a subject of debate. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between various HRV parameters and cancer prognosis.
methodsWe conducted an extensive search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases and compared the overall survival (OS) of cancer patients with high and low HRV. The data type was unadjusted hazard ratio (HR). Random or fixed-effects models were used to calculate the pooled HR along with the 95% Confidence Interval (CI). We used funnel plot analysis to evaluate potential publication bias.
resultsA total of 11 cohort studies were included with 2539 participants. The methodological quality of the included studies is generally high. Compared with low standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) group, higher SDNN was a protective factor for OS in patients with cancer (I
conclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate that HRV parameters, particularly SDNN, HF-HRV, and nonlinear indices, exhibit predictive value for prognosis in cancer. Furthermore, it can be inferred that elevated VN activity may predict prolonged survival outcomes. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneity observed across included studies. Future research should prioritize prospective studies with standardized measurement protocols to validate these associations.
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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.