BACKGROUND

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) has been extensively explored within general oncology, yet little is known about the experience of PTG in neuro-oncology. This study aimed to determine the representation of patients with primary brain tumors (PBT) in the PTG literature.

METHODS

PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL were systematically searched from inception to December 2022. Search terms were related to personal growth and positive reactions to cancer. Articles were first screened by titles and abstracts, then full texts were reviewed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method.

RESULTS

A total of 382 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of those, 13 included patients with PBT. Over 100 000 cancer patients were represented, with 0.79% having a PBT. Most research focused on low-grade gliomas. PTG negatively correlated with post-traumatic stress symptoms and avoidant coping. In the sole longitudinal study, patients with PBT demonstrated improved PTG after 1 year. Three quasi-experimental studies investigated the effect of mindfulness-based interventions with mixed-cancer samples and demonstrated improvement in PTG.

CONCLUSIONS

The inclusion rate of patients with PBT in the PTG literature was significantly lower than the population prevalence rate (1.3% of cancer diagnoses). Relatively few studies focused exclusively on how patients with PBT experience PTG ( = 5), and those that did only included low-grade glioma. The experience of PTG in those with high-grade glioma remains unknown. Patients with PBT are scarcely included in research on PTG interventions. Few studies examined the relationship between PTG and medical, cognitive, or psychological characteristics. Our understanding of the PTG experience in neuro-oncology remains extremely limited.