"Not just another meta-analysis": Sources of heterogeneity in psychosocial treatment effect on cancer survival.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Currently, there are eight meta-analyses that address the question whether psychosocial intervention can prolong survival with widely disparate conclusions. One reason for inconsistent findings may be the methods by which previous meta-analyses were conducted.

Methods

Databases were searched to identify valid randomized controlled trials that compared psychosocial intervention with usual care. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their confidence intervals were pooled to estimate the strength of the treatment effect on survival time, and z-tests were performed to assess possible heterogeneity of effect sizes associated with different patient and treatment characteristics.

Results

Twelve trials involving 2439 cancer patients that met screening criteria were included. The

SUBMITTER: Mirosevic S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6346264 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature