SynthesisBMJ open2019
Utility of the number needed to treat in paediatric haematological cancer randomised controlled treatment trials: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2019. 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.
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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of alirocumab and evolocumab on all-cause mortality and major cardiovascular events: A meta-analysis focusing on the number needed to treat.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Estimated cardiac deaths associated with treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia with ibrutinib versus zanubrutinib in the United States.Future oncology (London, England) · 2026Article
- Number needed to treat to avoid progression and death and cost analysis: zanubrutinib versus acalabrutinib in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.Future oncology (London, England) · 2026Article
- Likelihood-of-harm/help of microsurgery compared to radiosurgery in large vestibular schwannoma.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2024Article
- The Use of Psychotropic Medication in Pediatric Oncology for Acute Psychological and Psychiatric Problems: Balancing Risks and Benefits.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Concept of the Number Needed to Treat for the Analysis of Pain Relief Outcomes in Patients Treated with Spinal Cord Stimulation.Biomedicines · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe primary objective was to assess the utility of the number needed to treat (NNT) to inform decision-making in the context of paediatric oncology and to calculate the NNT in all superiority, parallel, paediatric haematological cancer, randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with a comparison to the threshold NNT as a measure of clinical significance.
designSystematic review DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group Specialized Register through CENTRAL from inception to August 2018. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Superiority, parallel RCTs of haematological malignancy treatments in paediatric patients that assessed an outcome related to survival, relapse or remission; reported a sample size calculation with a delta value to allow for calculation of the threshold NNT, and that included parameters required to calculate the NNT and associated CI.
resultsA total of 43 RCTs were included, representing 45 randomised questions, of which none reported the NNT. Among acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) RCTs, 29.2% (7/24) of randomised questions were found to have a NNT corresponding to benefit, in comparison to acute myeloid leukaemia (ALM) RCTs with 50% (3/6), and none in lymphoma RCTs (0/13). Only 28.6% (2/7) and 33.3% (1/3) had a NNT that was less than the threshold NNT for ALL and AML, respectively. Of these, 100% (2/2 ALL and 1/1 AML) were determined to be possibly clinically significant.
conclusionsWe recommend that decision-makers in paediatric oncology use the NNT and associated confidence limits as a supportive tool to evaluate evidence from RCTs while placing careful attention to the inherent limitations of this measure.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.