The effects of multidisciplinary psychosocial interventions on adult cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis*

Purpose: To summarize evidence on the effects of multidisciplinary psychosocial rehabilitation interventions for adult cancer patients on fatigue, quality of life, participation, coping, and self-efficacy. Materials and methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PyscINFO, PEDro, OT Seeker, Sociological s, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials. Two reviewers selected articles independently. Results: Thirty-one articles were included and four meta-analyses were conducted. The results of one meta-analysis was statistically significant when comparing multidisciplinary psychosocial interventions to standard care on fatigue among breast cancer patients (standardized mean differences [SMD] 0.30 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04, 0.56)) at 2-6 months follow-up. However, no significant results were revealed on health-related quality of life among breast cancer (SMD 0.38 (95% CI -0.40, 1.16)), prostate cancer (SMD 0.06 (95% CI -0.18, 0.29)), and patients with different cancer diagnoses (SMD 0.06 (95% CI -0.14, 0.25)) at follow-up. One study reported on effects of interventions on participation, and four studied the outcomes of coping and self-efficacy. Conclusions: Multidisciplinary psychosocial interventions may decrease fatigue among breast cancer patients. There is an urgent need for rigorous designed trials in cancer rehabilitation, preferably on fatigue, participation, and coping or self-efficacy. The interventions need to be thoroughly described.