Family Involvement Interventions on Fear of Cancer Recurrence Management Among Women With Breast Cancer and Their Caregivers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Xiaofan Bu, Ling Jiang, Doris Y P Leung
PMID 40369672WHAT IT FOUND
Nurse-led family involvement interventions lowered fear of cancer recurrence in women with breast cancer immediately after the intervention.
Caregiver fear was measured in one trial and did not clearly fall. Effects were short-term only, with no follow-up.
Key findings
01Across six studies involving 503 women, family involvement interventions significantly reduced fear of cancer recurrence immediately after intervention compared with usual care.
02In subgroup analysis, disclosure combined with education or counselling targeting specific needs had the largest pooled effect, while education or psychological support plus some disclosure was not significant.
03Only one trial measured fear of recurrence in caregivers, and the reduction was not statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The included trials had methodological weaknesses: unclear random sequence generation, no allocation concealment reported, no blinding of outcome assessors, and inappropriate handling of missing outcome data. Overall risk of bias was high in one study and of some concern in the other six. Heterogeneity across studies was substantial, and intervention content, dosage, delivery mode and outcome tools varied. Only one trial measured fear of cancer recurrence in caregivers, and that trial had high risk of bias and missing outcome data. All studies measured outcomes immediately after intervention, so there is no evidence about long-term effects. Most included studies were conducted in China, so the results may not apply elsewhere. One study was excluded from the pooled analysis because it did not report mean and standard deviation, and publication bias was not evaluated because fewer than 10 studies were included. Only two studies used theoretical frameworks.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that these interventions reduce fear of recurrence in caregivers. Only one trial measured caregiver fear, and the between-group difference was not statistically significant. Do not treat the result as evidence of lasting benefit, because outcomes were measured only immediately after the intervention.