Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26253548›Full record

SynthesisTrials2015

Reporting quality of abstracts in phase III clinical trials of systemic therapy in metastatic solid malignancies.

Shanthi Sivendran, Kristina Newport, Michael Horst, Adam Albert, Matthew D Galsky

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Trials, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
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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

5 authors.

Shanthi SivendranAnn B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, Lancaster General Health, Lancaster, PA, 17604, USA. ssivendran2@lghealth.org.
Kristina NewportHospice and Community Care, Lancaster, PA, USA. knewport@hospicecommunity.org.
Michael HorstResearch Institute, Lancaster General Health, Lancaster, PA, USA. MAHorst@lghealth.org.
Adam AlbertDepartment of Internal Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lebanon, PA, USA. adamjalbertmd@gmail.com.
Matthew D GalskyIcahn School of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai, NY, USA. matthew.galsky@mssm.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundManuscript abstracts represent a critical source of information for oncology practitioners. Practitioners may utilize the information contained in abstracts as a basis for treatment decisions particularly when full-text articles are not accessible. In 2007, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) extension statement for abstracts provided a minimum list of elements that should be included in abstracts. In this study we evaluate the degree of adherence to these recommendations and accessibility of full text publications in oncology publications.

methodsA systematic review of abstracts of randomized, controlled, phase III trials in metastatic solid malignancies published between January 2009 and December 2011 in PubMed, Medline, and Embase was completed. Abstracts were assigned a completeness score of 0-18 based on the number of CONSORT-recommended elements. Accessibility through open access was recorded.

results174 abstracts with data for 95,956 patients were reviewed. The median completeness score was 9 (range, 3-17). Open access to full text articles was available for 80 % of abstracts. The remaining 20 % (35 out of 174) had a median cost of 38 USD (range: $22-49.95). The least frequently reported elements were: trial design description (20 %), participant allocation method (13 %), blinding (24 %), trial enrollment status (22 %), registration and name of trial (26 %) and funding source (18 %). The most frequently reported elements were eligibility criteria (98 %), study interventions (100 %), and primary endpoint (87 %).

conclusionThere is poor adherence to the CONSORT recommendations for abstract reporting in publications of randomized cancer clinical trials which could negatively impact clinical decision-making. Full-text articles are frequently available through open access.

Indexed as

Access to InformationAntineoplastic AgentsClinical Trials, Phase III as TopicEvidence-Based MedicineGuideline AdherenceGuidelines as TopicHumansNeoplasm MetastasisNeoplasmsQuality ControlRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicResearch DesignTreatment OutcomeAntineoplastic Agents

Identifiers

PMID26253548
PMCPMC4545856

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.