Objective:

To evaluate the effects of various art therapies on the psychological well-being and quality of life in cancer survivors and rank interventions by efficacy.

Approach:

• Statistical Analysis: Heterogeneity assessed using I² statistic; Bayesian NMA conducted to compare interventions and rank efficacy using SUCRA, applying fixed- or random-effects models as appropriate.

Key Findings:

• Twenty-eight studies involving 2,542 cancer survivors were included.
• Mandala painting therapy showed significant efficacy in alleviating depression and enhancing quality of life.
• Music therapy was superior to routine care for fatigue reduction and had the highest SUCRA ranking (96.4%).
• Music therapy also had high SUCRA rankings for anxiety (67.4%) and pain relief (69.0%), but pairwise comparisons were not statistically significant.

Interpretation:

Mandala art therapy and music therapy have shown potential to improve psychological well-being and quality of life among cancer survivors, but findings should be interpreted cautiously due to evidence network limitations and potential biases.

Limitations:

• Absence of closed loops in the evidence network.
• Substantial clinical heterogeneity.
• Potential publication bias.

Conclusion:

Further high-quality, multi-arm, standardized randomized controlled trials with lower risk of bias are needed to confirm these findings.

Sources:

• Systematic Review Registration