Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41243006›Full record

SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025

Prehabilitation including psychological interventions reduces overall postoperative complications following cancer surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Nicholas Hirst, Michael J Solomon, Kate McBride, Haryana Dhillon, Zirong Bai, Kate Alexander, Se Won Jeon, Daniel Steffens

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

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.

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. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
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

8 authors.

Nicholas HirstSurgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, P.O. Box M157, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia. Nicholas.Hirst1@health.nsw.gov.au.
Michael J SolomonSurgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, P.O. Box M157, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.
Kate McBrideFaculty of Medicine and Health, Central Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Haryana DhillonFaculty of Science, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Zirong BaiSurgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, P.O. Box M157, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.
Kate AlexanderSurgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, P.O. Box M157, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.
Se Won JeonSurgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, P.O. Box M157, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.
Daniel SteffensSurgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, P.O. Box M157, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aims to assess the effectiveness of psychological prehabilitation in reducing postoperative complications and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing cancer surgery.

methodsA comprehensive electronic search was conducted in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline, PsycINFO, AMED and Embase databases from inception to December 2023. Randomised controlled trials assessing the effectiveness of psychological prehabilitation compared to control in patients undergoing abdominal, pelvic, and/or thoracic cancer surgery were included. The primary outcome measures were postoperative complications and length of hospital stay. Two independent reviewers extracted relevant information and assessed the risk of bias. Random-effect meta-analyses were used to pool outcomes, and the quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE.

resultsA total of 18 trials were identified (N = 1612) and 11 (N = 923) analysed, including eight multimodal (N = 719), one bimodal (N = 90) and two unimodal (N = 189). There was high-quality evidence that trials including psychological prehabilitation significantly reduced the incidence of overall postoperative complications in all cancer types included in the studies (relative risk: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.89) and abdominal cancer subgroup (relative risk: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.88) compared to control. Psychological prehabilitation was not effective in reducing length of hospital stay (mean difference: - 0.78; 95% CI: - 1.72 to 0.17).

conclusionPsychological prehabilitation appears effective in reducing postoperative complications in cancer patients. Future studies should investigate the optimal preoperative psychological interventions according to individual cancer groups undergoing surgery.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPostoperative ComplicationsPreoperative CarePsychosocial InterventionHumansLength of StayRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicCancerPrehabilitationPsychologyPsycho-oncologyRandomised controlled trials

Identifiers

PMID41243006

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.