Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33510313›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2021

A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of megestrol acetate or dexamethasone in treating symptomatic anorexia in people with advanced cancer.

David C Currow, Paul Glare, Sandra Louw, Peter Martin, Katherine Clark, Belinda Fazekas, Meera R Agar

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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

28 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. SEOM clinical guidelines for cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (2023).Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2024
    Guideline
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Predictive biomarkers of placebo response in patients with cancer: an exploratory analysis of the ABCD randomized clinical trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Trial
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. A taste alteration-related scale assesses megestrol to improve chemotherapy-induced anorexia.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Ovarian hormones and eating disorders.Frontiers in psychology · 2024
    Review
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

7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

David C CurrowIMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, P O Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia. david.currow@uts.edu.au.
Paul GlarePain Management Research Institute, Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, St Leonard's, NSW, Australia.
Sandra LouwMcCloud Consulting Group, Belrose, NSW, Australia.
Peter MartinClinical Communication and End-of-Life Care, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Katherine ClarkDepartment of Palliative Care, Calvary Mater, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Belinda FazekasIMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, P O Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.
Meera R AgarIMPACCT, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, P O Box 123, Ultimo, NSW, 2007, Australia.
University of Technology Sydney · AUCalvary Mater Newcastle Hospital · AUDeakin University · AUFlinders University · AUNorthern Sydney Local Health District · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This multi-site, double blind, parallel arm, fixed dose, randomised placebo controlled phase III study compared megestrol acetate 480 mg/day with dexamethasone 4 mg/day for their net effects on appetite in people with cancer anorexia. Patients with advanced cancer and anorexia for ≥ 2 weeks with a score ≤ 4 (0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS) 0 = no appetite, 10 = best possible appetite) were recruited. Participants received megestrol 480 mg or dexamethasone 4 mg or placebo daily for up to 4 weeks. Primary outcomes were at day 7. Responders were defined as having a ≥ 25% improvement in NRS over baseline. There were 190 people randomised (megestrol acetate n = 61; dexamethasone n = 67, placebo n = 62). At week 1 (primary endpoint), 79·3% in the megestrol group, 65·5% in the dexamethasone group and 58·5% in the placebo group (p = 0.067) were responders. No differences in performance status or quality of life were reported. Treatment emergent adverse events were frequent (90·4% of participants), and included altered mood and insomnia. Hyperglycemia and deep vein thromboses were more frequent when on dexamethasone than the other two arms. There was no difference in groups between the three arms, with no benefit seen over placebo with anorexia improving in all arms.Trail registration: The trial was registered on 19/08/2008 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12608000405314).

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overAnorexiaAppetiteAppetite StimulantsAustraliaDexamethasoneDisease ManagementFemaleHumansMaleMegestrol AcetateMiddle AgedNeoplasm MetastasisNeoplasmsNeoplasm StagingAppetite StimulantsDexamethasoneMegestrol Acetate

Identifiers

PMID33510313
PMCPMC7844230
OpenAlexW3124963949

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.