Montgomery, G.H., Sucala, M., Baum, T., & Schnur, J.B. (2017). Hypnosis for symptom control in cancer patients at the end-of-life: A systematic review. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 65, 296–307.

STUDY PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review of the literature was to determine the impact of hypnosis on the most common symptoms patients with cancer experience at the end-of-life: fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, appetite loss, and dyspnea.

TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review

DATABASES USED: EMBASE, MEDLINE, COCHRANE, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS

YEARS INCLUDED: From inception through November 2016

INCLUSION CRITERIA: Published in peer-reviewed journal; English language; RCT methodology and efficacy data; assessed at least one of five symptoms: fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, appetite loss, or dyspnea; included hypnosis intervention; included patients with cancer at end-of-life 

EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Not stated

TOTAL REFERENCES RETRIEVED: 94

EVALUATION METHOD AND COMMENTS ON LITERATURE USED: None of the studies met the inclusion criteria

FINAL NUMBER STUDIES INCLUDED: 0

TOTAL PATIENTS INCLUDED IN REVIEW: 0

SAMPLE RANGE ACROSS STUDIES: 0

KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: None

PHASE OF CARE: Not specified or not applicable

Results from this systematic review revealed no studies were identified that rigorously tested hypnosis as an intervention to improve five of the most common symptoms experienced by patients with cancer at end-of-life. A review of 100 abstracts revealed that none of the identified studies met the inclusion criteria. These results were consistent with previous research that failed to identify RCTs using hypnosis for management of sleep disturbances, fatigue, pain, appetite loss, or dyspnea in terminally ill patients with cancer (Rajasekaran et al., 2005).

Patients with cancer at the end of life commonly experience a multitude of challenging symptoms, specifically, sleep disturbances, fatigue, pain, appetite loss, and dyspnea. Management of these symptoms at end of life is a key part of care and finding interventions to relieve them is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) priority. Although hypnosis proved to be effective in improving symptoms in patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses, hypnosis has not been rigorously studied for symptoms in patients with cancer at the end of life.

Limited number of studies included

The future of hypnosis for improving symptom in patients with cancer at the end of life is promising. However, as a result of the current lack of rigorous research on hypnosis for symptom management in patients with cancer at the end of life, hypnosis cannot be recommended.