In a recent study published in JAMA , researchers determined whether patient involvement in cancer trials is associated with improved survival rates compared to regular therapy. Study: Survival Benefit Associated With Participation in Clinical Trials of Anticancer Drugs A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Image Credit: Halfpoint / Shutterstock.
com Researchers often regard clinical trials as delivering superior patient care due to their frequent assessments and increased access to novel medicines. However, no conclusive evidence of therapeutic benefit from study participation has emerged. Cancer trial reviews from the 1990s have reported inconsistent evidence that patient involvement improves survival rates.
Likewise, systematic literature reviews in different illness categories have not indicated that individuals participating in clinical trials had improved outcomes as compared to those receiving standard care. In the current study, researchers investigate differences in overall survival rates for individuals enrolled in clinical trials as compared to standard care recipients, during which they considered confounding and biased sources. Pooled estimates of overall survival basis were calculated for both standard care recipients and trial participants while considering trial eligibility criteria, treatment effects, and confounding variables.
These estimates were then used to identify design characteristics related to detecting survival advantages among trial participants. .