Psychosocial interventions for ovarian cancer survivors: A systematic review

Ovarian cancer survivorship is complex and is associated with greater symptom burden, fear of reoccurrence, sexual dysfunction, lower quality of life and heightened existential distress in contrast to other cancers. This systematic review aimed to investigate the effectiveness for, and perspective of, psychosocial interventions encompassing psychological, social, and emotional support, tailored to, or involving ovarian cancer survivors at all stages of disease.

Adhering to the PRISMA-SR statement guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library databases, Google, and Google Scholar. Two reviewers independently undertook a two-stage screening process. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was utilised to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Data were extracted using customised data extraction tools and narratively synthesised.

Thirteen studies were included in this review. Generally positive effects of psychosocial interventions were observed across a range of outcome domains (meaning enhancing, cognitive, social, emotional, and cancer-specific). However, the characteristics of interventions and outcome measures varied across studies. Psychoeducational interventions were identified as the most common psychosocial approach, while Acceptance and Commitment Therapy showed promise in addressing the disease's high symptom burden. Women's perspectives of psychosocial interventions were described as "useful" and promoted positive self-regard.

While the evidence base largely support positive effects of psychosocial interventions for ovarian cancer survivors, this finding is constrained by heterogeneity of interventions and modest gains. Future research may explore the standardisation of psychosocial interventions for this demographic, investigating its effects on less explored but prevalent concerns among ovarian cancer survivors such as fear of cancer recurrence and sexual dysfunction.