Effect of eHealth Interventions on Body Image of Patients With Cancer: Systematic Review

Background: Body image issues are prevalent among individuals diagnosed with cancer, leading to detrimental effects on their physical and psychological recovery. eHealth has emerged as a promising approach for enhancing the body image of patients with cancer.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of eHealth interventions on body image and other health outcomes (quality of life, physical symptoms, and emotional distress) among patients with cancer. In addition, the acceptability, engagement, and challenges of eHealth interventions were also assessed.

Methods: A total of 11 databases were searched, encompassing PubMed; Embase; Web of Science; MEDLINE (via Ovid); Scopus; the Cochrane Library; CINAHL (via EBSCO); OpenGrey; and 3 prominent Chinese repositories: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Wanfang Database, and China VIP Database. The search dates were from the inception of the database to September 25, 2024. The inclusion criteria for this study encompassed research that used randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experiments (QEs) to examine the effectiveness of eHealth interventions for patients with cancer. The methodological quality of RCTs and QEs was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Evaluation Checklist, respectively. The review adhered to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO.

Results: There were 3548 studies reviewed, and 7 studies were selected. Three studies were RCTs and 4 were QEs, involving a total of 512 patients. Evidence of efficacy for eHealth interventions targeting body image and other health outcomes (physical symptoms and emotional distress) was mixed. Nevertheless, our findings indicate that there was no notable enhancement in quality of life resulting from eHealth interventions. A total of 5/7 (71%) studies reported the acceptability of eHealth interventions among patients with cancer, and patients perceived eHealth interventions as acceptable. However, the difficulty of operating the software, determination of the most effective course of treatment, and time constraints emerged as the primary challenges associated with electronic interventions.

Conclusions: The implementation of eHealth interventions has the potential to enhance body image, physical symptoms, and emotional distress in patients with cancer. Researchers should undertake more rigorous experiments in the future to elucidate the effectiveness of eHealth and address pertinent concerns.