SynthesisThe oncologist2025
Changes in quality of life throughout the illness trajectory of older adults with cancer: a systematic review.
Synthesis in The oncologist, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Time-dependent analysis of HUS change in older patients aged > 75 years with head and neck cancer.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2026Article
- Trajectories of health-related quality of life after cancer diagnosis in a cohort of Australian women: a longitudinal study.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOlder adults with cancer often experience frailty and comorbidities, potentially impacting their quality of life. Knowledge on quality-of-life changes throughout the cancer trajectory is important to set feasible expectations in interventions or trials.
aimThis systematic review synthesizes existing knowledge on quality-of-life changes in older adults with cancer throughout their illness trajectory and explores potential individual, relational, community, and societal factors associated with these changes.
methodWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO. We synthesized characteristics and outcomes of all studies reporting on quality-of-life or well-being changes in people aged 65+ with cancer. We used Bronfenbrenner's Social Ecological Model to categorize associated factors. We followed PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024566815).
resultsWe included 22 studies. Studies varied in characteristics of the cohorts and timing of the measurements and were often lacking clear quality-of-life conceptualizations. All studies used a quantitative design, except 1 mixed-methods study. Eight of 9 studies with follow-up moments of 12 months or more reported stable quality-of-life scores. All 3 studies examining the last year of life found quality-of-life declines. Five other studies reported a decline during treatment; in 4 studies followed by an increase. Comorbidities, older age, and mobility problems were most frequently associated with declining quality of life. Relational, community, and societal level factors were rarely studied.
conclusionDespite the methodological heterogeneity between studies, we identified trends in quality-of-life changes across the illness trajectories of older adults with cancer, particularly declining trends during treatment and end-of-life periods and stable trends in long-term follow-up.
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Registered trials
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