Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21964738›Full record

Trial reportJournal of neuro-oncology2012

A randomized trial on the efficacy of methylphenidate and modafinil for improving cognitive functioning and symptoms in patients with a primary brain tumor.

K Gehring, S Y Patwardhan, R Collins, M D Groves, C J Etzel, C A Meyers, J S Wefel

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
68citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
8.5field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

68 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 158 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Management of Fatigue in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO-Society for Integrative Oncology Guideline Update.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2024
    Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Pharmacological treatments for fatigue associated with palliative care.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015
    Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Survivorship: cognitive function, version 1.2014.Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN · 2014
    Guideline
  12. Pooled it
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Trial
  17. Trial
  18. Trial
  19. Trial
  20. Article

8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

K GehringCenter of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
S Y Patwardhan
R Collins
M D Groves
C J Etzel
C A Meyers
J S Wefel
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · USBaylor College of Medicine · USTilburg University · NLUniversity of Houston · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Limited research is available regarding the efficacy of psychostimulants in treating cognitive function in primary brain tumor patients. An open-label, randomized, pilot trial examined both the general and differential efficacy of 4 weeks of methylphenidate (MPH) and modafinil (MOD) in 24 brain tumor patients. Participants completed cognitive tests and self-report measures of fatigue, sleep disturbance, mood and quality of life at baseline and after 4 weeks.Following stimulant treatment, there was evidence of a beneficial effect on test performance in speed of processing and executive function requiring divided attention. Patients with the greatest deficit in executive function at baseline appeared to derive the greatest benefit following stimulant therapy. Inconsistent, differential effects were found on a measure of attention in favor of MPH and on a measure of processing speed in favor of MOD. There was also evidence of a general beneficial effect on patient-reported measures of fatigue, mood, and quality of life, with no statistically significant differences between treatment arms in these measures over time. The results from this small pilot study should be interpreted with caution, but appear to warrant additional research, in larger study samples, targeting fatigue, processing speed and executive function, and exploring different doses of stimulants. Future studies may also wish to explore the specific patient factors that may be associated with responsiveness to psychostimulant treatment.

Indexed as

AdultBenzhydryl CompoundsBrain NeoplasmsCentral Nervous System StimulantsCognition DisordersFemaleFollow-Up StudiesGliomaHumansMaleMethylphenidateMiddle AgedModafinilNeoplasm GradingPilot ProjectsPrognosisBenzhydryl CompoundsCentral Nervous System StimulantsMethylphenidateModafinil

Identifiers

PMID21964738
OpenAlexW1978267073

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.