Influence of stress-specific interventions on biomarker levels and cognitive function in cancer patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Cancer patients' psycho-physiological health is seriously affected by long-term exposure to stress. Many studies have explored the impact of stress-specific interventions on cancer patients' biomarker levels and cognitive functions. However, the current research findings are inconsistent, and their statistical power is limited by the small samples. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to verify the effect of stress-specific interventions on cancer patients.

Methods

The literature involved nine databases from the inception until January 13, 2024, extracted 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 software was used to perform a meta-analysis, and the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool (RoB2) was utilized for quality evaluation.

Results

Nine RCTs were assessed as having a low risk of bias, and others had a moderate risk. The results showed that stress-specific interventions had beneficial effects on patients' subjective cognition but uncertain impacts on their executive function, tumour necrosis factor-α level, morning cortisol level, and no effect on cortisol at other times, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-1, and C-reactive protein.

Conclusion

More rigorous studies are required to elucidate the influence of stress-specific interventions on biomarker levels. The potential mechanism by which stress-specific interventions affect the cancer patient's cognitive function remains unclear.