Prevalence of Sleep Disturbance in Patients With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sleep disturbance is one of the most common and troubling symptoms that harm the quality of life throughout all phases of treatment and stages of the illness among patients with cancer. The aim of this meta-analysis is to examine the present status of sleep disturbance prevalence in patients with cancer. The following databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, from inception to April 2021. Prevalence rates were pooled with meta-analysis using a random-effects model. A total of 160 studies (N = 46,279) published between 1998 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of sleep disturbance was 60.7% (26,448/46,279 participants, 95% CI 58.1–63.3%) with significant heterogeneity between studies (p < .000, τ(2) = .0000, I(2) = 96.4%). This meta-analysis highlights the importance of developing optimal monitoring strategies to reduce sleep disturbance and improve the quality of life of cancer patients.