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- Zekhethelo A Mkhwanazi, Snenhlanhla A Mfusi, and Bongani B Nkambule.
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences (SLMMS), College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
- Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Feb 18; 101 (7): e28868e28868.
BackgroundThe addition of rituximab to standard chemotherapy has been shown to improve response rates in patients with acute or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the prognostic factors associated with progression-free survival in rituximab treated patients with lymphocytic leukemias remains unclear. We will perform a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on available data on prognostic factors associated with the clinical outcomes of patients with acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.Methods And AnalysisThis protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of prognostic factors has been prepared following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines. Electronic databases will be searched using keywords related to the objectives of this review. This systematic review and meta-analysis will include published randomized clinical trials, observational, prospective, and retrospective comparative cohorts. Two reviewers (ZAM and SAM) will independently screen studies, with a third reviewer consulted in cases of disagreements using a defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data items will be extracted using a predefined data extraction sheet. Moreover, the risk of bias and the quality of evidence were independently assessed using the quality in prognostic studies tool (QUIPS). The I2 and chi squared statistical tests will be used to analyze statistical heterogeneity across studies. An I2 values of > 50% will be considered substantial. All data analysis will be performed using STATA 16.0 (StataCorp LP, TX, USA). The outcomes examined will be progression-free and overall survival.Ethics And DisseminationNo ethical approval will be required and the findings of this meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Systematic Review RegistrationInternational prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSERO) number: CRD42021218997.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
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