The dangers of “cross-trial” and “cross-retrospective experience” comparisons : Examples employing data in the peer-reviewed ovarian cancer literature
✍ Scribed by Maurie Markman
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2007
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 64 KB
- Volume
- 109
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0008-543X
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
C onsider the following analyses involving previously published data in the peer-reviewed medical literature comparing outcomes across 1) ovarian cancer trials and 2) retrospective institutional experiences in this malignancy:
Analysis 1
Several institutions have reported their individual data regarding long-term (>5 years) risk for recurrence in patients with advanced ovarian cancer who previously had achieved a surgically confirmed complete response to primary chemotherapy. [1][2][3] Table 1 shows that, after cisplatin-based treatment, this rate exceeded 50%, 1,2 whereas for patients who received alkylating agent chemotherapy, the risk of recurrence was <20% (even with follow-up >8 years). 3 These data would appear to support the conclusion that alkylating agent therapy is the superior primary chemotherapy strategy in advanced ovarian cancer. Why is this class of antineoplastic agents not the ''standard of care'' in the management of the malignancy? 4