Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41629457›Full record

Trial reportSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026

Effect of early integration of supportive care in addition to standard care in patients with breast cancer: A randomised controlled trial.

Himanshu Varshney, Prateek Maurya, Nishkarsh Gupta, Atul Batra, Ajay Gogia, Brajesh Kumar Ratre, Sachidanand Jee Bharati, Vinod Kumar, Rakesh Garg, Rajiv Kumar Malhotra and 2 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Himanshu VarshneyDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-4015-5461
Prateek MauryaDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-5047-7911
Nishkarsh GuptaDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India. drnishkarsh@rediffmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8444-2564
Atul BatraDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1934-8408
Ajay GogiaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
Brajesh Kumar RatreDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7451-933X
Sachidanand Jee BharatiDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3398-1293
Vinod KumarDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9248-4641
Rakesh GargDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5842-8024
Rajiv Kumar MalhotraDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2249-7754
Seema MishraDepartment of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (DR BRAIRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9233-809X
Sushma BhatnagarDepartment of Palliative Medicine, Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2097-7180

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeBreast cancer is the most common malignancy among women in India, with patients often experiencing high symptom burden and compromised quality of life (QoL). Despite evidence supporting early supportive care integration, significant implementation gaps persist in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study addresses the lack of feasible intervention models for resource-constrained settings and inadequate characterization of mechanisms through which early supportive care improves outcomes-particularly symptom-specific contributions and financial burden reduction.

methodsThis single-centre, randomised controlled trial at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, randomised 110 newly diagnosed adult female breast cancer patients (1:1) into intervention (early supportive care plus standard care) or control (standard care only) groups. Supportive care included symptom management, psychosocial counselling, and educational support. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 3 months using EORTC QLQ-C30 and Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). Statistical analyses included t-tests, multivariate regression, and mediation modelling.

resultsBoth groups showed significant QoL improvement, but greater symptom reduction occurred in the intervention group (mean ± SD ESAS reduction: 30.69 ± 15.51 vs. 22.9 ± 15.99; p = 0.014). Fatigue and pain were significantly lower in the supportive care group (Cohen's d = 0.55 [95% CI:0.17,0.94] and 0.38 [95% CI:0.00,0.75], respectively). Financial burden significantly reduced (p = 0.001), with higher patient and caregiver satisfaction (p = 0.032). Mediation analysis confirmed pain reduction as a key QoL predictor (p < 0.001).

conclusionsEarly supportive care integration significantly reduces symptom burden, enhances psychological well-being, and lowers financial stress, supporting its inclusion as standard adjunct cancer care in developing countries, providing actionable evidence for policymakers in LMICs.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsPalliative CareQuality of LifeAdultAgedCounselingFemaleHumansIndiaMiddle AgedResource-Limited SettingsSocial SupportSymptom BurdenBreast cancerEORTC QLQ-C30ESASIndiaPain managementPalliative oncologyQuality of lifeSupportive careSymptom burden

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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.