PhD Scientific Days 2026

Poster Session 2.K - Mental Health Sciences

Psychological Intervention Improves Quality of Life, but Survival in Patients with Early-Stage Cancer: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Name of the presenter

Bognár, Sára Anna

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Center for Translational Medicine

Authors

Sára Anna Bognár, MSc¹
1: Center for Translational Medicine

Text of the abstract

Introduction
The effectiveness of psychological interventions (PI) for malignant diseases remains controversial, particularly regarding their impact on survival and quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients.
Aims
We aimed to investigate the effect of psychological interventions on survival outcomes and quality of life in patients with cancer.
Method
A systematic search of MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Embase databases was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials comparing psychological interventions to standard care (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021282327).
Outcomes included overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and multiple domains of quality of life.
Subgroup analyses were performed based on: provider, type of intervention, environment, duration of intervention, cancer stage, cancer type. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model.
Results: Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. The OS and RFS did not differ significantly between the two groups (OS:HR = 0.97; CI 0.87–1.08; RFS:HR = 0.99; CI 0.84–1.16). However, there was significant improvement in the intervention group in all the analyzed domains of QoL; in the global (SMD = 0.65; CI 0.35–0.94), emotional (SMD = 0.64; CI 0.33–0.95), social (SMD = 0.32; CI 0.13–0.51) and physical (SMD = 0.33; CI 0.05–0.60) domains. The effect of PI on QoL was generally positive immediately, 12 and 24 weeks after intervention, but the effect decreased over time and was no longer found significant at 48 weeks. The results were better in the breast cancer group and early stages of cancer.
Conclusion: PIs do not prolong survival, but they significantly improve the QoL of cancer patients. PI should be added as standard of care 3–4 times a year, at least for patients with early-stage cancer.
Funding: Supported by the Semmelweis University Research, Development and Innovation Fund.