Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34432361›Full record

ArticleThoracic cancer2021

Reporting quality of randomized, controlled trials evaluating immunotherapy in lung cancer.

Jun Du, Yundi Zhang, Yiting Dong, Jianchun Duan, Hua Bai, Jie Wang, Jiachen Xu, Zhijie Wang

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Thoracic cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 27% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

8 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Jun DuOffice of Academic Research, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Yundi ZhangState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Yiting DongState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Jianchun DuanState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-1479-2304
Hua BaiState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Jie WangState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5602-0487
Jiachen XuState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-4565-6364
Zhijie WangState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/ National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWith the improvement of therapeutic strategies from cytotoxic chemotherapy to immunotherapy, the possibility of achieving timely intervention for lung cancer has dramatically increased. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCT) on immunotherapy in lung cancer.

methodsThe RCTs evaluating the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer published up to 2021 were searched and collected from PUBMED and EMBASE by two investigators. The 2010 Consolidated Standards for Test Reports (CONSORT) statement-based 28-point overall quality score (OQS) and the 2001 CONSORT statement-based 19-point OQS was utilized for assessing the overall quality of each report.

resultsOne hundred and fifty-two related RCTs were retrieved in this study, including 81,931 patients. The average OQS in 2010 was 17.89 (range, 7.5-24.5). Overall, studies have sufficiently reported the eligibility criteria (143/152; 94.07%), described the scientific background (150/152; 98.7%) and discussed interventions (147/152; 96.7%). However, the RCTs did not consistently report the changes to trial after commencement (48/152; 31.6%), allocation, enrollment and assignment personnel (34/152; 22.4%), blinding (48/152; 31.6%), or randomization method (58/152; 38.2%).

conclusionsThe overall reporting quality of RCTs on immunotherapy in lung cancer was found to be unsatisfactory despite the fact that the CONSORT statement was issued more than a decade ago. Furthermore, there was virtual selectivity and heterogeneity in reporting some key issues in these trials. This is the first study to enlighten lung cancer researchers especially focusing on immunotherapy, and also to remind editors and peer reviewers to strengthen their due diligence.

Indexed as

HumansImmunotherapyLung NeoplasmsRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicCONSORT statementimmunotherapylung cancerrandomized controlled trialreporting quality

Identifiers

PMID34432361
PMCPMC8520800
OpenAlexW3193792805

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.