Table 1.
The clinical and sociodemographic variables for the included patients and trials for the symptoms pain, fatigue, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation*
| Clinical and sociodemographic variables | Pain, No. (%) (nine RCTs; n = 1467) | Fatigue, No. (%) (five RCTs; n = 1237) | Vomiting, No. (%) (five RCTs; n = 824) | Nausea, No. (%) (six RCTs; n = 813) | Diarrhea, No. (%) (six RCTs; n = 815) | Constipation, No. (%) (four RCTs; n = 751) |
| Age, y | ||||||
| ≤60 | 585 (39.9) | 827 (66.9) | 491 (59.6) | 481 (59.2) | 487 (59.8) | 476 (63.4) |
| >60 | 882 (60.1) | 410 (33.1) | 333 (40.4) | 332 (40.8) | 328 (40.2) | 275 (36.6) |
| Performance status | ||||||
| WHO 0-1 | 1,213 (82.7) | 1,118 (90.4) | 753 (91.4) | 742 (91.3) | 745 (91.4) | 696 (92.7) |
| WHO 2-3 | 254 (17.3) | 118 (9.5) | 71 (8.6) | 71 (8.7) | 70 (8.6) | 55 (7.3) |
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 1,018 (69.4) | 731 (59.1) | 501 (60.8) | 501 (61.6) | 497 (61) | 430 (57.3) |
| Female | 449 (30.6) | 506 (40.9) | 323 (39.2) | 312 (38.4) | 318 (39) | 321 (42.7) |
| Metastasis | ||||||
| No | 183 (12.5) | 107 (8.6) | 108 (13.1) | 107 (13.2) | 108 (13.3) | 108 (14.4) |
| Yes | 1,214 (82.8) | 633 (51.2%) | 715 (86.8%) | 705 (86.7%) | 706 (86.6%) | 642 (85.5%) |
| Cancer site | ||||||
| Brain | 0 | 496 (40) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colon or rectum | 371 (25.3) | 370 (29.9) | 378 (45.9) | 377 (46.4) | 375 (46) | 376 (50) |
| Lung | 343 (23.4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ovary | 69 (4.7) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prostate | 542 (36.9) | 0 | 69 (8.4) | 69 (8.5) | 68 (8.3) | 0 |
| Breast | 82 (5.6) | 8 (0.7) | 8 (0.9) | 0 | 8 (1) | 8 (1.1) |
| Melanoma | 60 (4.1) | 304 (24.6) | 308 (37.4) | 306 (37.6) | 303 (37.2) | 306 (40.8) |
| Pancreas | 0 | 59 (4.8) | 61 (7.4) | 61 (7.5) | 61 (7.5) | 61 (8.1) |
*
Individual patient data for the variable “performance status” were unavailable for the symptom fatigue (n = 1), and data for the variable “metastasis” were unavailable for the symptoms pain (n = 70), fatigue (n = 497), vomiting (n = 1), nausea (n = 1), diarrhea (n = 1), and constipation (n = 1). For this reason, percentages do not always add up to 100%. RCT = randomized controlled trial; WHO = World Health Organization.