Evidence map›Paper›PMID 15753541›Full record

Trial reportGut2005

Thalidomide in the treatment of cancer cachexia: a randomised placebo controlled trial.

J N Gordon, T M Trebble, R D Ellis, H D Duncan, T Johns, P M Goggin

Open access · bronzeAbstract readClinical TrialRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Gut, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
88citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
9.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

88 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 319 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Thalidomide for managing cancer cachexia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2012
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  16. Cancer cachexia: molecular basis and therapeutic advances.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026
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28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

J N GordonMailpoint 813, Level E, South Block, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK. j.gordon@soton.ac.uk
T M Trebble
R D Ellis
H D Duncan
T Johns
P M Goggin
Queen Alexandra Hospital · GBSouthampton General Hospital · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundProinflammatory cytokines, especially tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of cancer cachexia. Thalidomide, which is an inhibitor of TNF-alpha synthesis, may represent a novel and rational approach to the treatment of cancer cachexia.

aimsTo assess the safety and efficacy of thalidomide in attenuating weight loss in patients with cachexia secondary to advanced pancreatic cancer.

methodsFifty patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who had lost at least 10% of their body weight were randomised to receive thalidomide 200 mg daily or placebo for 24 weeks in a single centre, double blind, randomised controlled trial. The primary outcome was change in weight and nutritional status.

resultsThirty three patients (16 control, 17 thalidomide) were evaluated at four weeks, and 20 patients (eight control, 12 thalidomide) at eight weeks. At four weeks, patients who received thalidomide had gained on average 0.37 kg in weight and 1.0 cm(3) in arm muscle mass (AMA) compared with a loss of 2.21 kg (absolute difference -2.59 kg (95% confidence interval (CI) -4.3 to -0.8); p = 0.005) and 4.46 cm(3) (absolute difference -5.6 cm(3) (95% CI -8.9 to -2.2); p = 0.002) in the placebo group. At eight weeks, patients in the thalidomide group had lost 0.06 kg in weight and 0.5 cm(3) in AMA compared with a loss of 3.62 kg (absolute difference -3.57 kg (95% CI -6.8 to -0.3); p = 0.034) and 8.4 cm(3) (absolute difference -7.9 cm(3) (95% CI -14.0 to -1.8); p = 0.014) in the placebo group. Improvement in physical functioning correlated positively with weight gain (r = 0.56, p = 0.001).

conclusionThalidomide was well tolerated and effective at attenuating loss of weight and lean body mass in patients with cachexia due to advanced pancreatic cancer.

Indexed as

AgedAngiogenesis InhibitorsBody WeightCachexiaDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleNutritional StatusPancreatic NeoplasmsProspective StudiesQuality of LifeSurvival AnalysisThalidomideTreatment OutcomeAngiogenesis InhibitorsThalidomide

Identifiers

PMID15753541
PMCPMC1774430
OpenAlexW1975230416

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.