ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S2184

Interdisciplinary – Education in radiation oncology

ESTRO 2025

2588

Digital Poster Impact of pain education on pain relief in oncological patients: an AMSTAR-compliant systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Costanza M Donati 1,2 , Erika Galietta 2 , Renée Hovenier 3 , Filippo Mammini 1 , Arina A Zamfir 1 , Deborah Barravecchia 1 , Rebecca Sassi 4 , Alberto Bazzocchi 4 , Ingrid Nijholt 5 , Martijn Boomsma 5 , Francesca De Felice 6 , Alessandro Napoli 6 , Simone Ferdinandus 7,8 , Roberto Blanco Sequeiros 9 , Savino Cilla 10 , Silvia Cammelli 1,2 , Alessio Giuseppe Morganti 1,2 1 Radiation Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy. 2 Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. 3 Division of Imaging and Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrcht, Netherlands. 4 Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy. 5 Department of Radiology, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, Netherlands. 6 Department of Radiological Oncological and Pathological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy. 7 Department of Radiation Oncology, Cyberknife and Radiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany. 8 Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. 9 Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. 10 Medical Physics Unit, Responsible Research Hospital, Gemelli Molise Hospital, Campobasso, Italy Purpose/Objective: This systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses aims to assess the effectiveness of pain education (PE) programs for reducing pain intensity (PI) and improving outcomes such as pain knowledge, medication adherence, and quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether different PE delivery methods influence its effectiveness. Material/Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library, focusing on systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in English. The review adhered to AMSTAR-2 guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. A total of 53 studies were initially identified, with 9 (6 systematic reviews, 3 meta-analyses) ultimately meeting the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment was performed using the AMSTAR-2 tool, categorizing studies into confidence levels (high, moderate, low, critically low). Results: Out of the 9 included reviews, only one achieved a high confidence rating, while seven were rated as low or critically low due to methodological weaknesses, notably the lack of a priori protocols. The effectiveness of PE on PI varied: three systematic reviews and two meta-analyses demonstrated a modest reduction in PI, whereas others reported minimal to no effect. Despite mixed results for PI reduction, significant improvements in pain knowledge and medication adherence were consistently observed across most studies. However, no significant enhancement in QoL was noted. Regarding delivery methods, high-intensity and multi-session PE programs appeared to be more effective than single-session or brief interventions. Table 1: Characteristic and results of systematic reviews.