ReviewJournal of clinical medicine2023
Making Sense of Composite Endpoints in Clinical Research.
Review in Journal of clinical medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 2 of them syntheses 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
36 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cough, dyspnea, or chest pain? an examination of the composite endpoint in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer clinical trials.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Peripartum fetal Doppler sonography and perinatal outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of a Remote Person-Centered Intervention Using an eHealth Platform and Telephone Support for Persons With Chronic Pain: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2026Trial
- A composite endpoint for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease: association with mortality in two clinical trial cohorts.Respiratory research · 2025Trial
- A novel severe toxicity-free, and progression-free survival endpoint predicts outcomes after CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy in large B-cell lymphoma.Bone marrow transplantation · 2026Article
- Composite Endpoints in Contemporary Cardiovascular Trials: Trends in Phase 3 Trials and Key Issues in Regulatory Review.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2026Review
- Pleural Effusion Phenotype and Ultrasound Guidance Approach Associated with Unplanned Pigtail Pleural Catheter Removal in an Adult Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A machine learning approach to predict treatment response in myofascial pain patients receiving masseter trigger point injections.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Therapeutic hypothermia in infants <36 weeks gestation: proceed with caution.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Efficacy of 3D-printed bone graft container in the treatment of tibial plateau fractures and postoperative rehabilitation prediction model.BMC surgery · 2026Article
- Bias in the Composite Outcomes of Kidney-Cardio Protective Trials in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Meta-Epidemiological Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Methodological Considerations in Assessing HALP Score as a Prognostic Marker in Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis.Clinical cardiology · 2026Article
- How to Analyze Longitudinal Patient-Reported Outcomes in Populations With High Mortality Rates.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- Article
- Composite Primary Outcomes in Nephrology Clinical Trials.Kidney medicine · 2026Review
- Consensus on identifying and ranking ventilator asynchronies in invasively ventilated ICU patients: a modified Delphi study (SYNAPsE).Intensive care medicine · 2026Article
- Methodological Considerations Regarding Respiratory Safety and Recovery in Overweight or Obese Patients Undergoing Painless Gastroscopy.Drug design, development and therapy · 2026Article
- Comparative efficacy and safety of oral Chinese patent medicines combined with conventional therapy for coronary heart disease complicated by diabetes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- While-alive regression analysis of composite survival endpoints.Biostatistics (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Letter to the Editor concerning "Development of machine learning models for predicting patient-perceived benefit following lumbar disc herniation or spinal stenosis surgery" by Z.A. Toh, et al. (Eur Spine J [2025]; doi:10.1007/s00586-025-09304-y).European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Multiple drugs currently used in clinical practice have been approved by regulatory agencies based on studies that utilize composite endpoints. Composite endpoints are appealing because they reduce sample size requirements, follow-up periods, and costs. However, interpreting composite endpoints can be challenging, and their misuse is not uncommon. Incorrect interpretation of composite outcomes can lead to misleading conclusions that impact patient care. To correctly interpret composite outcomes, several important questions should be considered. Are the individual components of the composite outcome equally important to patients? Did the more and less important endpoints occur with similar frequency? Do the component endpoints exhibit similar relative risk reductions? If these questions receive affirmative answers, the use and interpretation of the composite endpoint would be appropriate. However, if any component of the composite endpoint fails to satisfy the aforementioned criteria, interpretation can become difficult, necessitating additional steps. Regulatory agencies acknowledge these challenges and have specific considerations when approving drugs based on studies employing composite endpoints. In conclusion, composite endpoints are valuable tools for evaluating the efficacy and net clinical benefit of interventions; however, cautious interpretation is advised.
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.