Bleomycin compared to ABV for the treatment of severe Kaposi's sarcoma in HIV-infected adults (Hernandez 1997) - non-RCT
Patient or population: HIV-infected adults with severe (T1) Kaposi's sarcoma
Settings: Venezuela
Intervention: bleomycin
Comparison: ABV
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No. of participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| ABV | Bleomycin | |||||
| Mortality | 917 per 1000 | 999 per 1000 (797 to 1000) | RR 1.09 (0.87 to 1.36) | 24 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ very low1 | |
| Clinical response - complete response | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | 24 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ very low1 | |
| Clinical response - partial response | 333 per 1000 | 37 per 1000 (3 to 620) | RR 0.11 (0.01 to 1.86) | 24 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ very low1 | |
| Clinical response - stable disease | 667 per 1000 | 587 per 1000 (313 to 1000) | RR 0.88 (0.47 to 1.63) | 24 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ very low1 | |
| Clinical response - progression | 0 per 1000 | 0 per 1000 (0 to 0) | RR 11 (0.67 to 179.29) | 24 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ very low1 | |
| Adverse events | 0 per 1000 | 0 per 1000 (0 to 0) | RR 11 (0.67 to 179.29) | 24 (1 study) | ⊕◯◯◯ very low1 | |
The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).
ABV: doxorubicin, bleomycin and vincristine; CI: confidence interval; RCT: randomised controlled trial; RR: risk ratio
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate.
There were very few events with very wide confidence intervals.