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Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Jan 21;22(1):3.
doi: 10.1007/s11912-020-0870-7.

Psychosocial Interventions for Pain Management in Advanced Cancer Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Marco Warth  1 , Joshua Zöller  2 , Friederike Köhler  3 , Corina Aguilar-Raab  3 , Jens Kessler  4 , Beate Ditzen  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Psychosocial Interventions for Pain Management in Advanced Cancer Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Marco Warth et al. Curr Oncol Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Purpose of review: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effects of psychosocial interventions on pain in advanced cancer patients.

Recent findings: The included studies investigated the effects of relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioral therapy, music therapy, mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions, and supportive-expressive group therapy. Overall, we found a small, but significant effect on pain intensity (d = - 0.29, CI = - 0.54 to - 0.05). Effect sizes were highly heterogeneous between studies. We did not find evidence for the superiority of any of the intervention types. However, psychosocial interventions may be more effective if they specifically targeted pain distress as the primary outcome. Although findings were mixed, psychosocial interventions can be recommended to complement comprehensive care to alleviate pain in patients facing an advanced or terminal stage of the disease. Future research should develop innovative interventions tailored specifically for pain relief.

Keywords: Cancer; Music therapy; Pain; Palliative care; Psychotherapy; Relaxation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Forest plot for pain intensity. CI, 95% confidence interval
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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