Journal of clinical epidemiology
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials show suboptimal validity of surrogate outcomes for overall survival in advanced colorectal cancer.
To quantify and compare the treatment effects on three surrogate end points, progression-free survival (PFS), time to progression (TTP), and tumor response rate (TR) vs. overall survival (OS) based on a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of drug interventions in advanced colorectal cancer (aCRC). ⋯ None of the end points in this study were found to achieve the level of evidence (ie, mean R(2)trial > 0.60) that has been set to select high or excellent correlation levels by common surrogate evaluation tools. Previous surrogacy relationships observed between PFS and TTP vs. OS in selected settings may not apply across other classes or lines of therapy.
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Review Comparative Study
Head-to-head randomized trials are mostly industry sponsored and almost always favor the industry sponsor.
To map the current status of head-to-head comparative randomized evidence and to assess whether funding may impact on trial design and results. ⋯ The literature of head-to-head RCTs is dominated by the industry. Industry-sponsored comparative assessments systematically yield favorable results for the sponsors, even more so when noninferiority designs are involved.
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The objective of the study was to assess the association between Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) factors and the strength of recommendations. ⋯ The results showed that quality of evidence is a key determinant for making a strong vs. a weak recommendation.
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Volume is an important feature in the evaluation of hypertrophic scars and keloids. Three-dimensional (3D) stereophotogrammetry is a noninvasive technique for the measurement of scar volume. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of 3D stereophotogrammetry for measuring scar volume. ⋯ Three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry is suitable for the use in clinical research but not for the follow-up of the individual patient.