Effects of digital psychological interventions on physical symptoms in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of digital psychological interventions to improve physical symptoms (i.e., fatigue, pain, disturbed sleep, and physical well-being) among cancer patients, as well as to evaluate the variables that possibly moderate intervention effects. Nine databases were searched for the literature up to February 2023. Two reviewers independently conducted a quality assessment. Effect sizes were reported as the standardized mean difference (Hedge's g) and estimated using a random-effects model. The meta-analysis included 44 randomized clinical trials comprising 7200 adults with cancer. Digital psychological interventions were associated with significant improvements in short-term fatigue (g = −0.33; 95% CI, −0.58 to −0.07) and disturbed sleep (g = −0.36; 95% CI, −0.57 to −0.15), but with non-significant changes in pain (g = −0.23; 95% CI, −0.68 to 0.21) and physical well-being (g = 0.31; 95% CI, −0.18 to 0.80). Additionally, no alleviation in long-term physical symptoms was observed. In subgroup analysis, results suggest that the country significantly moderated the effectiveness of digital psychological interventions in alleviating fatigue. Digital psychological interventions can be effective for improving short-term fatigue and disturbed sleep in patients with cancer. Clinicians could consider digital psychological interventions as a possible and efficient addition to better manage some of the physical symptoms during and after cancer treatment.