Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38323616›Full record

ReviewCurrent medicinal chemistry2025

Clinical Trials of High-intensity Focused Ultrasound for Cancer: Concerns Arising from Low Post-Hoc Power.

Tinghe Yu, Xinya Li

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Current medicinal chemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. 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

2 authors.

Tinghe YuLaboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9014-7967
Xinya LiLaboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Prospective controlled trials of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for cancers were evaluated. Post-hoc power was <0.80 in 30/46 trials and in 22/38 trials with positive results, indicating low quality in most trials. Unscientific endpoints, small sample sizes, and high dropout rates led to low post-hoc power that caused inter-trial heterogeneity and overestimated the therapeutic effect. The objective response rate was not a substitute for survival time for estimating the sample size and assessing the efficacy. The present data can interpret a paradox: HIFU is considered to have slighter cytotoxicity to noncancer tissues and no radiation but is frequently combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in practice.

Indexed as

Clinical Trials as TopicHigh-Intensity Focused Ultrasound AblationNeoplasmsHumanscancer clinical trialcombination therapydata qualityHigh-intensity focused ultrasoundoverestimation.post-hoc power

Identifiers

PMID38323616

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.