Table 2.
GRADE score.
| Quality assessment | No of RCTs | Design | Risk of bias | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication bias | RR(95% CI) | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORR | 44 | fixed trials | serious1 | no serious | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 1.27 (1.18–1.37) | ⊕⊕◯◯ LOW |
| DCR | 42 | randomised trials | serious1 | no serious | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 1.12 (1.08–1.15) | ⊕⊕◯◯ LOW |
| KPS improvement | 25 | randomised trials | Very serious1 | serious2 | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 1.41 (1.31–1.52) | ⊕◯◯◯ VERY LOW |
| Hemoglobinia | 17 | fixed trials | serious1 | no serious | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 0.57 (0.48–0.67) | ⊕⊕◯◯ LOW |
| Leukopenia | 30 | randomised trials | serious1 | serious2 | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 0.61 (0.53–0.71) | ⊕◯◯◯ VERY LOW |
| Thrombocytopenia | 27 | fixed trials | serious1 | no serious | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 0.62 (0.55–0.70) | ⊕⊕◯◯ LOW |
| Myelosuppression | 3 | fixed trials | serious1 | no serious | no serious | Serious3 | undetected | 0.55 (0.41–0.73) | ⊕⊕◯◯ LOW |
| Nausea and Vomiting | 18 | randomised trials | serious1 | serious2 | no serious | no serious | Strongly suspected4 | 0.63 (0.52–0.77) | ⊕◯◯◯ VERY LOW |
| Diarrhea | 5 | fixed trials | serious1 | no serious | no serious | Serious3 | undetected | 0.48 (0.37–0.64) | ⊕⊕◯◯ LOW |
| Gastrointestinal Reaction | 11 | randomised trials | serious1 | serious | no serious | Serious3 | Strongly suspected4 | 0.63 (0.49–0.80) | ⊕◯◯◯ VERY LOW |
1 Unclear description of the hidden methods of random sequence and random allocation. 2 Point estimates vary widely from study to study. 3 The number of studies was too small and the confidence interval was too wide to be accurate.4 The funnel plots were asymmetrical, which indicated that publication bias might influence the results of the analysis.Objective remission rate ORR=(CR+PR)/total cases×100%; Disease control rate DCR=(CR+PR+SD)/total cases×100%; KPS improvement rate=(number of improved cases + number of stable cases)/total cases.