Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27537589›Full record

SynthesisMedicine2016

Chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract carcinoma: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Lawrence Chen, Chiehfeng Chen, Yun Yen, Ka-Wai Tam

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract carcinomas.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Article
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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Lawrence ChenCenter for Evidence-based Health Care, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City Cochrane Taiwan Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Wan Fang Hospital Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical, University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chiehfeng Chen
Yun Yen
Ka-Wai Tam
Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital · TWTaipei Medical University · TWWan Fang Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough gemcitabine and platinum-based agents (GP) are currently regarded as the standard chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC), the prognosis remains poor. Combinations with fluoropyrimidines and targeted therapy have demonstrated modest benefits. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of different chemotherapy regimens.

methodsThe PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov registries were searched for studies published until April 2016. A meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the pooled effect size by using random effects models. Treatment efficacies were measured using progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. The secondary outcomes included the objective response rate (ORR), 1-year survival rate, quality of life, disease control rate, and adverse events.

resultsFifteen trials that involved examining 1775 patients were reviewed. Patients who received epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy in addition to standard GP chemotherapy exhibited a significantly higher median PFS (weighted mean difference = -1.49; 95% confidence interval -2.56 to -0.43), PFS (hazard ratio = 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.63-0.99), and ORR (odd ratio = 0.56; 95% confidence interval 0.38-0.82). Combining GP with fluoropyrimidines or vascular EGFR inhibitors (VEGFR) did not improve patient outcomes.

conclusionCombining EGFR-targeted therapy with the current standard GP chemotherapy is a safe and viable option that may improve the median PFS, PFS, and ORR in patients with advanced BTC. Further research investigating the optimal dosage and drug type of EGFR inhibitors for specific BTC patient groups is warranted.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBiliary Tract NeoplasmsDisease-Free SurvivalHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID27537589
PMCPMC5370815
OpenAlexW2511675361

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.