ArticleEClinicalMedicine2023
Objective response rate of placebo in randomized controlled trials of anticancer medicines.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk-Benefit of Phase 2 Monotherapy Trials in Adult Solid Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of cancer · 2026Pooled it
- A Phase 1/2 multicenter trial of DKN-01 as monotherapy or in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2025Trial
- Predictors of Placebo Response in the Study of Oxytocin in Autism to Improve Reciprocal Social Behaviors.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Frequently asked questions on surrogate endpoints in oncology-opportunities, pitfalls, and the way forward.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Review
- Secondary Analysis of Human Bulk RNA-Seq Dataset Suggests Potential Mechanisms for Letrozole Resistance in Estrogen-Positive (ER+) Breast Cancer.Current issues in molecular biology · 2024Article
- Article
- Desmoid is not a sarcoma; reply to Sachdev et al.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Letter to Editor-response: placebo response rates.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Disentangling minimum clinically important difference for an individual and a population in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's & dementia (New York, N. Y.)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Spontaneous regression of advanced solid tumors is infrequent but may occur. Quantifying response rates from placebo in cancer drug trials may provide important information for physicians, patients, and regulators. We aimed to provide a pooled placebo response rate from drug trials in advanced solid tumors. Methods: We pooled the overall response rate (ORR), complete response rate (CR) and partial response rates (PR) in the placebo arm of placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cancer drugs for advanced solid tumors published during 2015-2021 using random-effects model. Findings: 45 phase 3 RCTs including 5684 patients on placebo met our inclusion criteria and formed the study cohort. The pooled overall ORR, CR and PR rates in the placebo arm were 1% (95% CI, 0%-2%), 0% (95% CI, 0%-0%), and 1% (95% CI, 0%-2%) respectively. Higher placebo responses were observed in prostate cancer and sarcoma trials. Interpretation: Overall, 1% patients with advanced solid tumors can expect to achieve some response even in absence of treatment. However, complete regression without treatment is extremely rare, almost zero percent. This information will be helpful to patients in their decisions, as well as regulators in evaluating cancer drugs' efficacy based on response rates alone. Funding: None.
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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.