SynthesisPsycho-oncology2026
The Psychological Impact of Screen-Detected Cancer: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Psycho-oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Psychological Impact of Screen-Detected Cancer: A Systematic Review.Psycho-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Risks and Familial Coaggregation of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among First-Degree Relatives of Individuals With Colorectal Cancer.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- CT-guided indocyanine green fluorescence localization demonstrates superior reliability over hook-wire for pulmonary ground-glass nodules: a retrospective cohort study.Journal of thoracic disease · 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
backgroundThe benefits and harms of cancer screening must be balanced for all participant groups, including those who go on to have cancer diagnosed. The psychological impact of having cancer diagnosed through screening, rather than via another route, is currently unclear.
aimsWe conducted a systematic review to describe the psychological impact of detecting cancer through screening (screen-detected) compared to other routes (non-screen-detected).
methodsEligible studies investigated the psychological impact of screen-detected cancer. PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched. Two reviewers independently screened all titles, abstracts and full texts. We assessed quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Psychological outcome data were extracted for groups with screen-detected and non-screen-detected cancers, calculating Cohen's d where relevant. Results were narratively synthesized.
resultsWe included 33 papers presenting quantitative results from 31 studies. All were considered medium to high quality. Studies measured psychological outcomes across six cancer screening programmes (breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, cervical and ovarian) using 31 different outcome measures. Receiving a screen-detected cancer diagnosis seemed to be associated with a small or moderate short-term increase in adverse psychological outcomes. In studies comparing outcomes by detection route, most found no difference (n = 16 studies), or that patients with screen-detected cancers fared better than those with non-screen-detected cancers (n = 11 studies), but effect sizes were small.
conclusionsA screen-detected cancer diagnosis can lead to short-term adverse psychological outcomes; however, there is no strong evidence for a difference in psychological outcomes by detection route. Greater consistency of measures and timepoints would facilitate between-study comparisons. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2017 CRD42017075269.
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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.