Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37279594›Full record

SynthesisJournal of the National Cancer Institute2023

Interventions to improve outcomes for caregivers of patients with advanced cancer: a meta-analysis.

Ronald Chow, Jean J Mathews, Emily YiQin Cheng, Samantha Lo, Joanne Wong, Sorayya Alam, Breffni Hannon, Gary Rodin, Rinat Nissim, Sarah Hales and 4 more

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
46citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
41.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

46 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  7. TheWestern journal of nursing research · 2025
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  14. Non-pharmacological interventions for informal cancer caregivers: a JBI scoping review and gap analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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  15. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Ronald ChowDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6195-8624
Jean J MathewsDivision of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine and Department of Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Emily YiQin ChengDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-5533-5586
Samantha LoDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Joanne WongDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Sorayya AlamPalliative Medicine, Sobell House, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
Breffni HannonDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-0881-555X
Gary RodinDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6626-6974
Rinat NissimDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-3624-5806
Sarah HalesDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Dio KavalieratosDivision of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5283-0792
Kieran L QuinnTemerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1681-5170
George TomlinsonTemerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9328-6399
Camilla ZimmermannDepartment of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4889-0244
University Health Network · CAEmory University · USQueen's University · CASobell House · GBUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

CIHR 152996
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFamily caregivers of patients with advanced cancer often have poor quality of life (QOL) and mental health. We examined the effectiveness of interventions offering support for caregivers of patients with advanced cancer on caregiver QOL and mental health outcomes.

methodsWe searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases from inception through June 2021. Eligible studies reported on randomized controlled trials for adult caregivers of adult patients with advanced cancer. Meta-analysis was conducted for primary outcomes of QOL, physical well-being, mental well-being, anxiety, and depression, from baseline to follow-up of 1-3 months; secondary endpoints were these outcomes at 4-6 months and additional caregiver burden, self-efficacy, family functioning, and bereavement outcomes. Random effects models were used to generate summary standardized mean differences (SMD).

resultsOf 12 193 references identified, 56 articles reporting on 49 trials involving 8554 caregivers were eligible for analysis; 16 (33%) targeted caregivers, 19 (39%) patient-caregiver dyads, and 14 (29%) patients and their families. At 1- to 3-month follow-up, interventions had a statistically significant effect on overall QOL (SMD = 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.10 to 0.39); I2 = 52.0%), mental well-being (SMD = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.25; I2 = 0.0%), anxiety (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.49; I2 = 74.0%), and depression (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.16 to 0.52; I2 = 64.4) compared with standard care. In narrative synthesis, interventions demonstrated improvements in caregiver self-efficacy and grief.

conclusionsInterventions targeting caregivers, dyads, or patients and families led to improvements in caregiver QOL and mental health. These data support the routine provision of interventions to improve well-being in caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsQuality of LifeAdultAnxietyCaregiversHumansMental Health

Identifiers

PMID37279594
PMCPMC10407714
OpenAlexW4379598345

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.