• Panpan Xiao, Siqing Ding, Yinglong Duan, Lijun Li, Yi Zhou, Xiaofei Luo, Jianfei Xie, and Andy Sk Cheng.
• Xiangya Nursing School (P.X., L.L., Y.Z., X.L.), Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2022 Feb 1; 63 (2): e188-e202.

ContextLight therapy is a non-pharmacological therapy that is currently being studied in cancer-related symptoms and is certificated as a low-risk intervention by FDA. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common symptom reported by cancer patients.ObjectiveTo examine the effectiveness of light therapy for CRF in cancer patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of four electronic databases targeted randomized clinical trials evaluating light therapy for CRF (CRD42020215446), from inception to May 2021. The primary outcome was changes of CRF scores; secondary outcomes included depression, sleep, and quality of life (QoL). We quantitatively pooled outcomes using meta-analysis with random-effects models and assessed methodological bias.ResultsWe identified thirteen RCTs representing 551 cancer patients, encompassing breast (n = 5), ovarian or endometrial (n = 1), multiple myeloma (n = 1), lung (n = 1), or combined (n = 5) cancers. The comparison groups included dim light (n = 12) and waiting list (n = 1). Duration of intervention ranged from 1 to 12 weeks. Light intensities ranged from 417.9 to 12,000 lux. Light therapy was associated with a significant improvement in CRF (SMD = 0.45, P = 0.007), depression (SMD = -0.26, P = 0.03) and sleep difficulty (SMD = -2.46, P = 0.0006); a statistically non-significant trend was observed for QoL (SMD = 0.33, P = 0.09). Funnel plots for CRF suggest not significant publication bias.ConclusionLight therapy could be a feasible and effective option for improving CRF in cancer patients. Larger sample, rigor trials design and a standard protocol of intervention are needed to draw more conclusive conclusions.Copyright © 2021 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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