Effectiveness of Palliative Care in Managing Adverse Reactions in Cancer Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cancer patients undergoing surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy commonly develop adverse reactions including anxiety, depression, pain, fatigue, and sleep disorders, which markedly reduce quality of life. This study investigated the efficacy of palliative care for these complications and compared different intervention approaches. Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched in August 2024. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB2 tool. Pooled effect sizes (standardized mean difference, relative risk, 95% confidence interval) were calculated using Stata MP 15, Publication bias and sensitivity analysis were performed. In addition, subgroup analyses and meta-analyses were conducted to compare the effects of various palliative care intervention types on adverse reactions caused by cancer treatments. Eighteen studies with 2903 patients were included. Palliative care was significantly better than standard care in reducing depression, anxiety, pain, fatigue, delirium, malnutrition, nausea, and vomiting. Subgroup analysis indicated that combined interventions integrating pain management and hospice care achieved the best effects, and patients aged 60 years and above benefited more prominently. No significant difference was detected between groups in improving sleep disorders. Overall, palliative care effectively alleviates multiple adverse events in cancer patients undergoing antitumor treatment, with combined interventions showing superior efficacy, which offers evidence for clinical practice. More studies are required to optimize interventions for sleep disorders.