European Journal of Cancer
Volume 39, Issue 9 , Pages 1194-1198 , June 2003

Levels of absolute survival benefit for systemic therapies of advanced cancer: a call for standards

  • J.P.A. Ioannidis

      Affiliations

    • Clinical Trials and Evidence-Based Medicine Unit, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina 45110, Greece
    • Division of Clinical Care Research, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
    • ,
  • N. Pavlidis

      Affiliations

    • Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine (NP), University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina 45110, Greece
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +30-2-6510-97505

Received 3 January 2003 ,Accepted 8 January 2003.

References 

  1. Bailar JC, Gornik HL. Cancer undefeated. N. Engl. J. Med. 1997;336:1569–1574
  2. Ioannidis JP, Lau J. Uncontrolled pearls, controlled evidence, meta-analysis and the individual patient. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 1998;51:709–711
  3. The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group. The effect of vitamin E and beta carotene on the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers in male smokers. N. Engl. J. Med. 1994;330:1029–1035
  4. Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Manson JE, et al.  Lack of effect of long-term supplementation with beta carotene on the incidence of malignant neoplasms and cardiovascular disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 1996;334:1145–1149
  5. Pignon JP, Hill C. Meta-analyses of randomised clinical trials in oncology. Lancet Oncol. 2001;2:475–482
  6. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Acute Pain Management: Operative or Medical Procedures and Trauma. Rockville, MD, AHCPR, 1993, 107 [Clinical practice guideline No 1, AHCPR publication No 9200023].
  7. AML Collaborative Group. A systematic collaborative overview of randomized trials comparing idarubicin with daunorubicin (or other anthracyclines) as induction therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia. Br. J. Haematol. 1998;103:100–109
  8. Meta-analysis Group In Cancer. Efficacy of intravenous continuous infusion of fluorouracil compared with bolus administration in advanced colorectal cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 1998;16:301–308
  9. Stewart LA. Chemotherapy in adult high-grade glioma (a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data from 12 randomised trials). Lancet. 2002;359:1011–1018
  10. Ioannidis JP, Lau J. The impact of high-risk patients on the results of clinical trials. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 1997;50:1089–1098
  11. Ioannidis JP, Lau J. Completeness of safety reporting in randomized trials (an evaluation of 7 medical areas). JAMA. 2001;285:437–443
  12. Harbour R, Miller J. A new system for grading recommendations in evidence based guidelines. Br. Med. J. 2001;323:334–336
  13. Canellos GP, Anderson JR, Propert KJ, et al.  Chemotherapy of advanced Hodgkin's disease with MOPP, ABVD, or MOPP alternating with ABVD. N. Engl. J. Med. 1992;327:1478–1484
  14. Einhorn LH, Williams SD, Troner M, Birch R, Greco FA. The role of maintenance therapy in disseminated testicular cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 1981;305:727–731
    References for meta-analyses presented in Table 1
  1. AML Collaborative Group. A systematic collaborative overview of randomized trials comparing idarubicin with daunorubicin (or other anthracyclines) as induction therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia. Br. J. Haematol. 1998;103:100–109
  2. Klijn JG, Blamey RW, Boccardo F, et al.  Combined tamoxifen and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist versus LHRH agonist alone in premenopausal advanced breast cancer (a meta-analysis of four randomized trials). J. Clin. Oncol. 2001;19:343–353
  3. CLL Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Chemotherapeutic options in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (a meta-analysis of the randomized trials). J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1999;91:861–868
  4. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Interferon alfa versus chemotherapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (a meta-analysis of seven randomized trials). J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1997;89:1616–1620
  5. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Hydroxyurea versus busulphan for chronic myeloid leukaemia (an individual patient data meta-analysis of three randomized trials). Br. J. Haematol. 2000;110:573–576
  6. Advanced Colorectal Cancer Meta-Analysis Project. Modulation of fluorouracil by leucovorin in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (evidence in terms of response rate). J. Clin. Oncol. 1992;10:896–903
  7. Meta-analysis Group In Cancer. Efficacy of intravenous continuous infusion of fluorouracil compared with bolus administration in advanced colorectal cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 1998;16:301–308
  8. Colorectal Cancer Collaborative Group. Palliative chemotherapy for advanced colorectal cancer (systematic review and meta-analysis). Br. Med. J. 2000;321:531–535
  9. Advanced Colorectal Cancer Meta-Analysis Project. Meta-analysis of randomized trials testing the biochemical modulation of fluorouracil by methotrexate in metastatic colorectal cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 1994;12:960–969
  10. Meta-Analysis Group in Cancer. Reappraisal of hepatic arterial infusion in the treatment of nonresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1996;88:252–258
  11. Stewart LA. Chemotherapy in adult high-grade glioma (a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data from 12 randomised trials). Lancet. 2002;359:1011–1018
  12. Interferon as therapy for multiple myeloma: an individual patient data overview of 24 randomized trials and 4012 patients. Br J Haematol. 2001, 113, 1020–1034.
  13. Myeloma Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Combination chemotherapy versus melphalan plus prednisone as treatment for multiple myeloma: an overview of 6,633 patients from 27 randomized trials. J Clin Oncol. 1998, 16, 3832–3842.
  14. Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Collaborative Group. Chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (a meta-analysis using updated data on individual patients from 52 randomised clinical trials). Br. Med. J. 1995;311:899–909
  15. Advanced Ovarian Cancer Trialists Group. Chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer (an overview of randomised clinical trials). Br. Med. J. 1991;303:884–893
  16. Aabo K, Adams M, Adnitt P, et al.  for the Advanced Ovarian Cancer Trialists’ Group  Chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer (four systematic meta-analyses of individual patient data from 37 randomized trials). Br. J. Cancer. 1998;78:1479–1487
  17. Prostate Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group. Maximum androgen blockade in advanced prostate cancer (an overview of the randomised trials). Lancet. 2000;355:1491–1498
    References of randomised controlled trials presented in Table 1
  1. Stadtmauer EA, O'Neill A, Goldstein LJ, et al.  Conventional-dose chemotherapy compared with high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation for metastatic breast cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 2000;342:1069–1076
  2. Slamon DJ, Leyland-Jones B, Shaks , et al.  Use of chemotherapy plus a monoclonal antibody against HER2 for metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses HER2. N. Engl. J. Med. 2001;344:783–792
  3. Rai KR, Peterson BL, Appelbaum FR, et al.  Fludarabine compared with chlorambucil as primary therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. N. Engl. J. Med. 2000;343:1750–1757
  4. Saltz LB, Cox JV, Blanke C, et al.  Irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leukovorin for metastatic colorectal cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 2000;343:905–914
  5. Maughan TS, James RD, Kerr DJ, et al.  Comparison of survival, palliation, and quality of life with three chemotherapy regimens in metastatic colorectal cancer (a multicentre randomised trial). Lancet. 2002;359:1555–1563
  6. Douillard JY, Cunningham D, Roth AD, et al.  Irinotecan combined with fluorouracil compared with fluorouracil alone as first treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (a multicentre randomised trial). Lancet. 2000;355:1041–1047
  7. Coiffier B, Lepage E, Briere J, et al.  CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab compared with CHOP alone in elderly patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma. N. Engl. J. Med. 2002;346:235–242
  8. Georgoulias V, Papadakis E, Alexopoulos A, et al.  Platinum-based and non-platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (a randomised multicentre trial). Lancet. 2001;357:1478–1484
  9. Schiller JH, Harrington D, Belani CP, et al.  Comparison of four chemotherapy regimens for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 2002;346:92–98
  10. The International Collaborative Ovarian Neoplasm Group. Paclitaxel plus carboplatin versus standard chemotherapy with either single-agent carboplatin or cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin in women with ovarian cancer (the ICON3 randomised trial). Lancet. 2002;360:505–515

PII: S0959-8049(03)00119-9

doi: 10.1016/S0959-8049(03)00119-9

European Journal of Cancer
Volume 39, Issue 9 , Pages 1194-1198 , June 2003

Article Tools