ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025
Pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbance ("insomnia") in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care: a scoping review.
Article 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.
What it found
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- REstoring Sleep and Energy using a mulTimodal non-pharmacological intervention in advanced Cancer: A feasibility study (RESET-C).Palliative medicine · 2026Article
- The clinical relevance of sleep disturbance ("insomnia") in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care: a scoping review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Effects of embedded micro-mindfulness on psychological symptoms in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care: a prospective controlled study.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeSleep disturbance ("insomnia") is common in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care. The aim of this scoping review was to determine the evidence for the various pharmacological interventions utilised for sleep disturbance in this cohort of patients.
methodsStandard scoping review methodology was employed, and four databases were searched from inception (Medline, CINAHL, Embase, and the Cochrane Library). Hand searching of relevant sources was also undertaken. The search excluded non-English publications, and studies involving herbal remedies, and "complementary therapies".
resultsTen studies met the criteria for inclusion. The studies involved benzodiazepines (n = 5), "Z-drugs" (n = 2), melatonin (n = 2), antidepressants (n = 1), antipsychotics (n = 2), and dual orexin receptor antagonists (n = 1). Only three studies were randomised controlled trials, and only five of the studies used validated sleep assessment tools. The studies were mostly small in size (median - 47 patients).
conclusionsThis scoping review highlights that the evidence to support pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbance in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care is extremely limited. Further research is required not only to assess efficacy, but also tolerability, given the side effect profile of these drugs (and the frailty of the patients).
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