Peri-operative mental health interventions for surgical oncology patients: a narrative synthesis and meta-analysis

Oncologic surgeries are common and rates of depression and anxiety are high in the peri-operative period, potentially interfering with successful recovery.

We conducted a narrative review and meta-analysis focusing on randomised controlled trials evaluating the effect of peri-operative mental health interventions on anxiety and/or depression in adult patients having oncological surgery. The review included studies published in the last 5 years, identified through EMBASE with no pre-specified criteria for the type of comparison or outcome. A meta-analysis using a random effects model was performed for outcomes with sufficient data, and a vote-counting synthesis was performed for studies with insufficient data or fewer than two studies per outcome.

Seventeen randomised controlled trials were included. All were conducted internationally, primarily in Asia. Ten studies assessed psychological interventions (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy), six assessed pharmacological interventions (e.g. ketamine) and one assessed acupuncture. Meta-analysis revealed significant intervention effects on pre-operative anxiety scores (n = 429, Hedge's g = -1.03, p = 0.001) and postoperative depression scores at hospital discharge (n = 188, Hedge's g = -0.88, p < 0.001), whereas no significant intervention effect was found in anxiety scores at discharge (n = 188, Hedge's g = -1.54, p = 0.08). Vote-counting synthesis identified intervention effects on depression and anxiety scores on day 3 postoperatively and on depression scores at one-week postoperatively, while all other time-points showed no intervention effect.

Psychological and pharmacological interventions are effective at reducing pre-operative anxiety and immediate postoperative depression scores in patients having oncological surgery, but these benefits do not persist postoperatively. Hence, future research efforts should focus on development and testing of interventions that are effective and implementable within the peri-operative context.