Table 1: Study Design and Level of Evidence Characteristics of Included Studies.
| Study Design | Level of Evidence† | Number of Eligible Studies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gefitinib | Erlotinib | ||
| Systematic review and meta-analyses | 1a | 0 | 0 |
| Large RCT, systematic review of RCTs | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Large RCT | 1a | 5 | 0 |
| Large RCT unpublished but reported to an | 1(g) | 1 | 0 |
| Small RCT | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Small RCT unpublished but reported to an | 2(g) | 0 | 0 |
| Non-RCT with contemporaneous controls | 3a | 0 | 0 |
| Non-RCT with historical controls | 3b | 0 | 0 |
| Non-RCT presented at international conference | 3(g) | 0 | 0 |
| Surveillance (database or register) | 4a | 0 | 0 |
| Case series (multisite) | 4b | 0 | 0 |
| Case series (single site) | 4c | 0 | 0 |
| Retrospective review, modelling | 4d | 0 | 5 |
| Case series presented at international conference | 4(g) | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 5 | |
RCT refers to randomized controlled trial
For each included study, level of evidence was assigned according to a ranking system proposed by Goodman. (44)