Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29696502›Full record

SynthesisActa neurochirurgica2018

Tumor-treating fields as a fourth treating modality for glioblastoma: a meta-analysis.

Dimitrios E Magouliotis, Eftihia K Asprodini, Konstantina A Svokos, Vasiliki S Tasiopoulou, Alexis A Svokos, Steven A Toms

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Acta neurochirurgica, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. The Value of Tumor Treating Fields in Glioblastoma.Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society · 2020
    Article
  5. Review
  6. 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

6 authors.

Dimitrios E MagouliotisDepartment of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece. dmagouliotis@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5417-6392
Eftihia K AsprodiniLaboratory of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
Konstantina A SvokosDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Vasiliki S TasiopoulouFaculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, Larissa, Greece.
Alexis A SvokosRiverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News, VA, USA.
Steven A TomsDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe aim to review the available literature on patients suffering from glioblastoma treated with tumor-treating fields (TTFields) plus radio chemotherapy or conventional radio chemotherapy alone, to compare the efficacy and safety of the two methods.

methodsA systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Cochrane library, and Scopus databases, in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Six studies met the inclusion criteria incorporating 1806 patients for the qualitative analysis and 1769 for the quantitative analysis.

resultsThis study reveals increased median overall survival (weighted mean difference (WMD) 3.29 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.37, 4.21]; p < 0.00001), survival at 1 year (odds ratio (OR) 1.81 [95% CI 1.41, 2.32]; p < 0.00001) and 2 years (OR 2.33 [95% CI 1.73, 3.14]; p < 0.00001), and median progression-free survival (WMD 2.35 [95% CI 1.76, 2.93]; p < 0.00001) along with progression-free survival at 6 months (WMD 6.86 [95% CI 5.91, 7.81]; p < 0.00001) for the patients treated with TTFields. Survival at 3 years was comparable between the two groups. TTFields were associated with fewer adverse events compared to chemotherapy along with similar incidence of skin irritation.

conclusionsTTFields are a safe and efficient novel treatment modality. More randomized controlled studies, with longer follow-up, are necessary to further assess the clinical outcomes of TTFields.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsChemoradiotherapyElectric Stimulation TherapyGlioblastomaHumansProgression-Free SurvivalAlternating electric fieldsGlioblastomaMeta-analysisTTFieldsTumor-treating fields

Identifiers

PMID29696502

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.