SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025
Improving our understanding of the quality of life of patients with metastatic or recurrent/persistent anal cancer: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Salvage abdominoperineal resection for anal squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis of proportions.Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2026Pooled it
- Lived experiences of cancer care for people living with HIV who are treated for anal cancer: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2026Article
- "Surviving is not enough": shifting the focus from treatment success to quality of life in anal cancer survivors. Patient- reported outcomes and the evolving landscape of survivorship care.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeChemoradiation (CRT) is used to treat anal carcinomas which, for most patients with loco-regional disease, results in a cure but is associated with acute and chronic complications impairing quality of life (QoL). Patients with metastatic disease or recurrence are likely to experience additional QoL concerns. This paper identifies the QoL issues of these patients and determines whether the EORTC QLQ-ANL27 (QLQ-ANL27), a measure of QoL of patients treated with CRT for anal cancer used alongside the core EORTC QLQ-C30 (QLQ-C30), is suitable or needs adapting.
methodsA systematic review was conducted of studies published between 2014 and 2024 reporting QoL of patients with metastatic or recurrent/persistent anal cancer or follow-up data of patients treated with CRT for anal cancer.
resultsThis review included 23 papers, only three focused exclusively on metastatic and/or recurrent anal cancer. Most of the 53 reported symptoms related to bowel, urinary, and sexual functioning, with 60% covered by the QLQ-ANL27 or the QLQ-C30. Issues not captured include, for example, neuropathy, hair loss, musculoskeletal problems, urinary incontinence, and embarrassment.
conclusionThere is a paucity of research looking specifically at QoL outcomes of patients with metastatic or recurrent anal cancer. Whilst the QLQ-ANL27 captures most QoL issues affecting these patients, it might require adapting to improve its sensitivity.
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.