Table 3.
Improvement in symptom control
| O'Brien 2006 | Von Pawel 1999 | Von Pawel 2001 | Eckardt 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improvement in: | Oral topotecan vs BSC |
IV topotecan vs CAV |
Oral vs IV topotecan |
Oral vs IV topotecan# |
| Shortness of breath | OR 2.18 (1.09 to 4.38) | 27.9% vs 6.6% P = 0.002 | 13.8% vs 27.3% P = 0.20$ | 0.009 (-0.21 to 0.23) vs 0.08 (-0.29 to 0.14) difference 0.08 (-0.22 to 0.39)† |
| Cough | OR 1.35 (0.68 to 2.66) | 24.6% vs 14.8% P = 0.16 | 16.1% vs 22.2% P = 0.53$ | 0.14 (-0.07 to 0.36) vs 0.27 (0.07 to 0.46) difference -0.13 (-0.41 to 0.16)† |
| Chest pain | OR 2.07 (1.00 to 4.28) | 25.0% vs 17.1% P = 0.371 | 42.1% vs 31.8% P = 0.50$ | -0.18 (-0.40 to 0.03) vs 0.06 (-0.11 to 0.23) difference -0.24 (-0.52 to 0.03)† |
| Coughing up blood | OR 1.95 (0.46 to 8.27) | 26.7% vs 33.3% P = 0.706 | 33.3% vs 40.0% P = 0.84$ | |
| Loss of appetite | OR 1.02 (0.57 to 1.84) | 32.1% vs 15.8% P = 0.042 | 18.5% vs 31.0% P = 0.28$ | |
| Interference with sleep | OR 2.16 (1.15 to 4.06) | 33.3% vs 18.9% P = 0.085 | 32.0% vs 26.6% P = 0.85$ | |
| Hoarseness | OR 1.35 (0.63 to 2.87) | 32.5% vs 13.2% P = 0.043 | 35.7% vs 37.5% P = 0.91$ | |
| Fatigue | OR 2.29 (1.25 to 4.19) |
22.9% vs 9.2% P = 0.032 |
21.2% vs 16.7% P = 0.63$ | |
|
Interference with daily activities |
OR 1.70 (0.95 to 3.03) | 26.9% vs 11.1% P = 0.023 | 25.8% vs 22.2% P = 0.73$ | |
| Nausea | -0.42 (-0.60 to -0.24) vs -0.40 (-0.60 to -0.21) difference -0.02 (-0.28 to 0.24)† | |||
| Pain | -0.08 (-0.28 to 0.12) vs -0.40 (-0.60 to -0.21) difference 0.09 (-0.22 to 0.40)† | |||
Effects in bold show advantage for topotecan; effects in italics show advantage for best supportive care or CAV (none were found); numbers between brackets are 95% confidence intervals; BSC best supportive care; OR = odds ratio; vs versus; $ = own calculation from 2 by 2 data; † = data supplied by GlaxoSmithKline; # a positive change indicates improvement