Psychosocial support, swallowing rehabilitation, pharmaceutical care, and preventive oral hygiene in multidisciplinary oncology settings: a systematic review of primary research

Abstract

Abstract Background: Cancer treatment, especially chemoradiotherapy for head-and-neck malignancy, creates overlapping psychosocial, swallowing, medication-related, and oral-health challenges that require coordinated multidisciplinary care. Objective: To synthesize primary research evaluating psychosocial support, swallowing rehabilitation, pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care, and preventive oral-care interventions delivered within multidisciplinary clinical settings. Methods: A systematic review was designed and reported in accordance with PRISMA principles. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to May 2026. Two authors independently screened records, assessed eligibility, extracted data, and resolved disagreements through discussion. Eligible studies included adults or caregivers receiving multidisciplinary cancer care and evaluated psychosocial, swallowing, pharmacy, or preventive oral-care interventions. Results: Eight primary studies were included, comprising randomized controlled trials, prospective clinical studies, retrospective cohort studies, and a multicenter phase II study. Psychosocial counseling reduced depressive symptoms among patients with head-and-neck cancer. Preventive swallowing exercise programs improved selected functional swallowing outcomes during early follow-up, although long-term effects varied across trials. Pharmacist-led interventions improved medicine adherence, medication understanding, symptom burden, and oral-mucositis management. Multidisciplinary preventive oral-care programs supported oral monitoring and treatment completion, although severe mucositis remained frequent during chemoradiotherapy. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary supportive oncology care benefits from integrating psychosocial assessment, speech and language pathology services, pharmaceutical care, and preventive oral-health strategies. Future trials need harmonized patient-reported outcomes, longer follow-up, and explicit reporting of social-work, dental-assistant, and dental-hygienist roles. Keywords: multidisciplinary care; psychosocial support; dysphagia; swallowing rehabilitation; clinical pharmacy; oral hygiene; head and neck cancer; supportive oncology.