ArticleCancer2013
Attrition rates, reasons, and predictive factors in supportive care and palliative oncology clinical trials.
Article in Cancer, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 131 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
131 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 243 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Frailty in randomised controlled trials for dementia or mild cognitive impairment measured via the frailty index: prevalence and prediction of serious adverse events and attrition.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2023Pooled it
- Needs-based triggers for timely referral to palliative care for older adults severely affected by noncancer conditions: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.BMC palliative care · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review examining nutrition support interventions in patients with incurable cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- Are the MORECare guidelines on reporting of attrition in palliative care research populations appropriate? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMC palliative care · 2020Pooled it
- Combined exercise and nutritional rehabilitation in outpatients with incurable cancer: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2019Pooled it
- Oral H1 antihistamines as 'add-on' therapy to topical treatment for eczema.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Early palliative care for adults with advanced cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Clinical trials in palliative care: a systematic review of their methodological characteristics and of the quality of their reporting.BMC palliative care · 2017Pooled it
- Missing data in randomized controlled trials testing palliative interventions pose a significant risk of bias and loss of power: a systematic review and meta-analyses.Journal of clinical epidemiology · 2016Pooled it
- Interventions for Trismus in Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Dose response relationship of medical cannabis and symptom control in patients with pancreatic cancer: an analysis of the CANPAN trial.The oncologist · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Feasibility and effectiveness of a two-tiered intervention involving training and a new consultation model for patients with palliative care needs in primary care: A before-after study.Palliative medicine · 2024Trial
- A Multimodal Lifestyle Psychosocial Survivorship Program in Young Cancer Survivors: The CARE for CAYA Program-A Randomized Clinical Trial Embedded in a Longitudinal Cohort Study.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Trial
- The ICaRAS randomised controlled trial: Intravenous iron to treat anaemia in people with advanced cancer - feasibility of recruitment, intervention and delivery.Palliative medicine · 2023Trial
- Humour interventions for patients in palliative care-a randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Trial
- African American Recruitment in Early Heart Failure Palliative Care Trials: Outcomes and Comparison With the ENABLE CHF-PC Randomized Trial.Journal of palliative care · 2023Trial
71 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAttrition is common among supportive care/palliative oncology clinical trials. However, to the authors' knowledge, few studies to date have documented the reasons and predictors for dropout. In the current study, the authors' objective was to determine the rate, reasons, and factors associated with attrition both before reaching the primary endpoint and at the end of the study.
methodsA review of all prospective interventional supportive care/palliative oncology trials conducted in the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston between 1999 and 2011 was performed. Patient and study characteristics and attrition data were extracted.
resultsA total of 1214 patients were included in 18 clinical trials. The median age of the patients was 60 years. Approximately 41% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of ≥ 3, a median Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) for fatigue of 7 of 10, and a median ESAS for dyspnea of 2 of 10. The attrition rate was 26% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 23%-28%) for the primary endpoint and 44% (95% CI, 41%-47%) for the end of the study. Common reasons for primary endpoint dropout were symptom burden (21%), patient preference (15%), hospitalization (10%), and death (6%). Primary endpoint attrition was associated with a higher baseline intensity of fatigue (odds ratio [OR], 1.10 per point; P = .01) and a longer study duration (P = .04). End-of-study attrition was associated with higher baseline levels of dyspnea (OR, 1.06; P = .01), fatigue (OR, 1.08; P = .01), Hispanic race (OR, 1.87; P = .002), higher level of education (P = .02), longer study duration (P = .01), and outpatient studies (P = 0.05).
conclusionsThe attrition rate was high in supportive care/palliative oncology clinical trials, and was associated with various patient characteristics and a high baseline symptom burden. These findings have implications for future clinical trial design including eligibility criteria and sample size calculation.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.