Review of psychological interventions in patients with cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world and also causes morbidity and deterioration in the mental health of patients and their caregivers. The most commonly reported psychological symptoms include anxiety, depression, and the fear of recurrence. The purpose of this narrative review is to elaborate and discuss the effectiveness of the different interventions employed and their utilities in clinical practice.

Scopus and PubMed databases were searched, with a timeframe from 2020 to 2022, to identify randomised controlled trials, meta-analyses, and reviews and reported using PRISMA guidelines. Articles were searched by the following keywords: "cancer, psychology, anxiety, and depression". An additional search was performed with the keywords "cancer, psychology, anxiety, depression, and [intervention name]". The most popular psychological interventions were included in these search criteria.

A total of 4829 articles were retrieved by the first preliminary search. After reducing duplicates, 2964 articles were assessed for inclusion according to eligibility criteria. After the full-text screening, 25 final articles were chosen. To systematise psychological interventions as described in the literature, the authors have divided them into 3 broad categories, each type targeting a specific domain of mental health: cognitive-behavioural, mindfulness, and relaxation.

The most efficient psychological therapies, as well as therapies which require more extensive research, were outlined in this review. The authors discuss the necessity of primary assessment of patients and whether they require the help of a specialist. With the limitations of the potential risk of bias, an overview of different therapies and interventions targeting various psychological symptoms is outlined.