Umbrella Review of Psychosocial, Physical, and Combined Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: Impacts on Quality of Life and Health-Related Outcomes

Forfatter(e)
Aitmaganbet, P., Ishimova, L., Tulyayeva, A., Alibekova, M., Eskabylova, G.
År
2026
DOI
10.1177/21565333261464971
Tidsskrift
Journal of Adolescent & Young Adult Oncology
Sider
21565333261464971
Kategori(er)
Angst og engstelighet (inkl. både vansker og lidelse) Livskvalitet og trivselSomatisk sykdom (inkl. smertetilstander)
Tiltakstype(r)
Fysisk aktivitet
Abstract

RELEVANCE

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) diagnosed with cancer represent a particularly vulnerable group with unique developmental, psychosocial, and functional challenges. Beyond survival, improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become a major priority in cancer survivorship and public health.

PURPOSE

This umbrella review aimed to critically synthesize evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating the effectiveness of physical, psychosocial, and mixed interventions for improving HRQoL and related health outcomes in AYA (e.g., cancer-related fatigue, anxiety, and physical functioning) cancer patients and survivors.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and ScienceDirect identified eligible systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2015 and 2025.

RESULTS

Fifteen reviews were included. Physical activity interventions showed the most consistent moderate benefits, particularly in reducing fatigue and improving physical functioning and domain-specific HRQoL. Psychosocial interventions demonstrated small-to-moderate improvements in anxiety, depression, and emotional well-being. Mixed interventions showed promising but less robust evidence, particularly due to limited long-term follow-up. Overall evidence certainty ranged from low to moderate. Primary study redundancy was minimal (the corrected covered area = 1.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Psychosocial interventions, especially exercise-based and psychosocial programs, can improve key HRQoL domains in AYAs with cancer. However, more rigorous long-term studies are required, particularly for combined and digital approaches.