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Wei L, Butterly E, Rodríguez Pérez J, Chowdhury A, Shemilt R, Hanlon P, McAllister D. Description of subgroup reporting in clinical trials of chronic diseases: a meta-epidemiological study. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e081315. [PMID: 38908852 PMCID: PMC11328666 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/24/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In trials, subgroup analyses are used to examine whether treatment effects differ by important patient characteristics. However, which subgroups are most commonly reported has not been comprehensively described. DESIGN AND SETTINGS Using a set of trials identified from the US clinical trials register (ClinicalTrials.gov), we describe every reported subgroup for a range of conditions and drug classes. METHODS We obtained trial characteristics from ClinicalTrials.gov via the Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov database. We subsequently obtained all corresponding PubMed-indexed papers and screened these for subgroup reporting. Tables and text for reported subgroups were extracted and standardised using Medical Subject Headings and WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical codes. Via logistic and Poisson regression models we identified independent predictors of result reporting (any vs none) and subgroup reporting (any vs none and counts). We then summarised subgroup reporting by index condition and presented all subgroups for all trials via a web-based interactive heatmap (https://ihwph-hehta.shinyapps.io/subgroup_reporting_app/). RESULTS Among 2235 eligible trials, 23% (524 trials) reported subgroups. Follow-up time (OR, 95%CI: 1.13, 1.04-1.24), enrolment (per 10-fold increment, 3.48, 2.25-5.47), trial starting year (1.07, 1.03-1.11) and specific index conditions (eg, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, taking asthma as the reference, OR ranged from 0.15 to 10.44), predicted reporting, sponsoring source and number of arms did not. Results were similar on modelling any result reporting (except number of arms, 1.42, 1.15-1.74) and the total number of subgroups. Age (51%), gender (45%), racial group (28%) were the most frequently reported subgroups. Characteristics related to the index condition (severity/duration/types etc) were frequently reported (eg, 69% of myocardial infarction trials reported on its severity/duration/types). However, reporting on comorbidity/frailty (five trials) and mental health (four trials) was rare. CONCLUSION Other than age, sex, race ethnicity or geographic location and characteristics related to the index condition, information on variation in treatment effects is sparse. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42018048202.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Wei
- University of Glasgow School of Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow, UK
| | - Elaine Butterly
- University of Glasgow School of Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow, UK
| | | | | | - Richard Shemilt
- University of Glasgow School of Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow, UK
| | - Peter Hanlon
- University of Glasgow School of Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow, UK
| | - David McAllister
- University of Glasgow School of Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow, UK
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Marlin N, Godolphin PJ, Hooper RL, Riley RD, Rogozińska E. Nonlinear effects and effect modification at the participant-level in IPD meta-analysis part 2: methodological guidance is available. J Clin Epidemiol 2023; 159:319-329. [PMID: 37146657 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2023.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To review methodological guidance for nonlinear covariate-outcome associations (NL), and linear effect modification and nonlinear effect modification (LEM and NLEM) at the participant level in individual participant data meta-analyses (IPDMAs) and their power requirements. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library to identify methodology publications on IPDMA of LEM, NL or NLEM (PROSPERO CRD42019126768). RESULTS Through screening 6,466 records we identified 54 potential articles of which 23 full texts were relevant. Nine further relevant publications were published before or after the literature search and were added. Of these 32 references, 21 articles considered LEM, 6 articles NL or NLEM and 6 articles described sample size calculations. A book described all four. Sample size may be calculated through simulation or closed form. Assessments of LEM or NLEM at the participant level need to be based on within-trial information alone. Nonlinearity (NL or NLEM) can be modeled using polynomials or splines to avoid categorization. CONCLUSION Detailed methodological guidance on IPDMA of effect modification at participant-level is available. However, methodology papers for sample size and nonlinearity are rarer and may not cover all scenarios. On these aspects, further guidance is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Marlin
- Methodology Research Unit, Centre for Evaluation and Methods, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, 58 Turner Street, London E1 2AB, UK.
| | - Peter J Godolphin
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, 90 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LJ, UK
| | - Richard L Hooper
- Methodology Research Unit, Centre for Evaluation and Methods, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, 58 Turner Street, London E1 2AB, UK
| | - Richard D Riley
- Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ewelina Rogozińska
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at University College London, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, 90 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LJ, UK
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Liu M, Gao Y, Yang K, Cai Y, Xu J, Dai D, Wu S, Zhang J, Tian J. Reporting quality and risk of bias of Cochrane individual participant data meta-analyses: A cross-sectional study. J Evid Based Med 2023. [PMID: 37020358 DOI: 10.1111/jebm.12521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the reporting quality and risk of bias of Cochrane individual participant data meta-analyses (IPD-MAs). METHODS We searched the Cochrane Library and identified the Cochrane IPD-MAs. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of individual participant data (PRISMA-IPD) assessed the reporting quality of included Cochrane IPD- MAs, and the Risk Of Bias In Systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool was used to assess the risk of bias. We performed stratified and correlation analyses to explore factors affecting the quality. RESULTS Forty-six Cochrane IPD-MAs were included in our study. Twenty-six Cochrane IPD-MAs (56.5%) had statistical or epidemiological authors involved, and 31 (67.4%) contained only IPD data. Thirty-five studies (76.1%) did not report whether they used 1-stage or 2-stage methods, and forty (87.0%) did not report the statistical techniques used for missing participant data. We found that the entire compliance reported PRISMA-IPD items of Cochrane IPD-MAs published after 2015 (n = 18; Mean ± SD: 26.61 ± 2.75) was higher than those studies published in 2015 and before (n = 28; Mean ± SD: 22.61 ± 4.73), the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). A strong positive correlation was found between the fully reported PRISMA-IPD items and fully accordance ROBIS items (Spearman's: ρ = 0.653, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The quality of Cochrane IPD-MAs is not high, especially in the reporting of statistical methods. There was room for further improvement in IPD retrieval, IPD integrity and statistical analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ya Gao
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kelu Yang
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yitong Cai
- Nursing Psychology Research Center, Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jianguo Xu
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Dingmei Dai
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shuilin Wu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Junhua Zhang
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinhui Tian
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Evidence-Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
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Tian J, Gao Y, Zhang J, Yang Z, Dong S, Zhang T, Sun F, Wu S, Wu J, Wang J, Yao L, Ge L, Li L, Shi C, Wang Q, Li J, Zhao Y, Xiao Y, Yang F, Fan J, Bao S, Song F. Progress and challenges of network meta-analysis. J Evid Based Med 2021; 14:218-231. [PMID: 34463038 DOI: 10.1111/jebm.12443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In the past years, network meta-analysis (NMA) has been widely used among clinicians, guideline makers, and health technology assessment agencies and has played an important role in clinical decision-making and guideline development. To inform further development of NMAs, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to assess the current status of published NMA methodological studies, summarized the methodological progress of seven types of NMAs, and discussed the current challenges of NMAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhui Tian
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Evidence-Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ya Gao
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Evidence-Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
| | - Junhua Zhang
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhirong Yang
- Primary Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shengjie Dong
- Orthopedic Department, Yantaishan Hospital, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Tiansong Zhang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jing'an District Central Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Sun
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shanshan Wu
- National Clinical Research Center of Digestive Diseases, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiarui Wu
- Department of Clinical Chinese Pharmacy, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Junfeng Wang
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Liang Yao
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Long Ge
- Key Laboratory of Evidence-Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China
- Evidence-Based Social Science Research Center, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lun Li
- Department of Breast Cancer, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chunhu Shi
- Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Quan Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jiang Li
- National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Zhao
- First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Yue Xiao
- China National Health Development Research Center, Beijing, China
| | - Fengwen Yang
- Evidence-Based Medicine Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinchun Fan
- Epidemiology and Evidence Based-Medicine, School of Public Health, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shisan Bao
- Epidemiology and Evidence Based-Medicine, School of Public Health, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China
- Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Fujian Song
- Public Health and Health Services Research, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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