Table 1.
Study characteristics
| Characteristic | Number of studiesa (n = 115) | Percentage of studies (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Year of publication | ||
| 1990–1994 | 7 | 6.1 |
| 1995–1999 | 37 | 32.2 |
| 2000–2004 | 19 | 16.5 |
| 2005–2009 | 36 | 31.3 |
| 2010–2013 | 16 | 13.9 |
| Geographic region | ||
| Europe | 42 | 36.5 |
| North America | 30 | 26.1 |
| Asia | 28 | 24.3 |
| Multi-continent | 8 | 7.0 |
| Australasia | 3 | 2.6 |
| Africa | 2 | 1.7 |
| Not reported | 1 | 0.9 |
| South America | 1 | 0.9 |
| Study design | ||
| Randomized clinical trial | 112 | 97.4 |
| Non-randomized clinical trial | 2 | 1.7 |
| Controlled before–after study | 1 | 0.9 |
| Study conduct period | ||
| 1990–1999 | 1 | 0.9 |
| 2000–2009 | 15 | 13.0 |
| 2010–2013 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Not reported | 98 | 85.2 |
| Duration of follow-up b | ||
| 0 to ≤6 | 9 | 7.8 |
| >6 to ≤12 | 2 | 1.7 |
| >12 to ≤24 | 79 | 68.7 |
| >24 to ≤48 | 17 | 14.8 |
| >48 to ≤72 | 2 | 1.7 |
| >72 to ≤1 week | 3 | 2.6 |
| Not reported | 3 | 2.6 |
| Interventions examined: frequency c | ||
| Serotonin antagonists: Reported as administered alone (administered with dexamethasone) | ||
| Ondansetron | 79 (7) | 68.70 (6.1) |
| Granisetron | 14 (4) | 12.2 (3.5) |
| Tropisetron | 15 (0) | 13.0 (0.0) |
| Dolasetron | 15 (1) | 13.0 (0.9) |
| Palonosetron | 4 (0) | 3.5 (0.0) |
| Ramosetron | 3 (1) | 2.6 (0.9) |
| Comparator antiemetics: | ||
| Butyrophenone | 26 | 22.61 |
| Benzamide | 14 | 12.17 |
| Dexamethasone | 6 | 5.2 |
| Phenothiazine | 2 | 1.7 |
| Antihistamine | 3 | 2.61 |
| NK-1 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Anticholinergic | 0 | 0 |
| Serotonin antagonists given with other antiemetic: | ||
| Serotonin antagonist + dexamethasone | 13 | 11.3 |
| Serotonin antagonist + butyrophenone | 5 | 4.4 |
| Serotonin antagonist + benzamide | 0 | 0 |
| Serotonin antagonist + antihistamine | 1 | 0.9 |
| Serotonin antagonist + NK-1 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Serotonin antagonist + phenothiazine | 0 | 0 |
| Placebo or no treatment | 86 | 74.78 |
| Outcomes examined: frequency d | ||
| Arrhythmia | 53 | 46.1 |
| Delirium | 34 | 29.6 |
| Mortality | 28 | 24.3 |
| QT prolongation | 18 | 15.7 |
| Setting | ||
| Not reported | 71 | 61.7 |
| Hospital | 25 | 21.7 |
| Medical center | 16 | 13.9 |
| Multi-center | 3 | 2.6 |
aIncludes unpublished data [84]; bduration is in hours unless otherwise noted; cmultiple interventions and comparators examined across the studies; dmultiple interventions and outcomes reported per study. NK-1: Neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist