Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Author (year, country) | Design | Number of patients | Age, years | Interventions | Incidence of neuropathy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin E | Controls | |||||
| Pace et al. (2003, Italy) [9] | Randomised clinical study | 27 total; vitamin E: 13, unblinded control group: 14 | 58 (37 to 69) | 57 (28 to 74) | Vitamin E 300 mg/day starting before cisplatin and continuing up to 3 months after cisplatin treatment | Vitamin E: 30.7%, unblinded control group: 85.7%; p < 0.01; RR = 0.36 (95% CI: 0.15–0.83); p < 0.001 |
| Argyriou et al. (2006, Greece) [11] | Phase II, randomised clinical study | 32 total; vitamin E: 16, unblinded control group: 16 | 56.8 ±8.3 | 57.2 ±11.5 | Vitamin E 600 mg per day during chemotherapy and 3 months after its cessation | Vitamin E: 18.7%, unblinded control group: 62.5%; p = 0.03; RR = 0.3 (95% CI: 0.1–0.9) |
| Argyriou et al. (2006, Greece) [12] | Phase, randomised clinical study | 30 total; vitamin E: 14, unblinded control group: 16 | 53.6 ±14.8 | 59.3 ±12.8 | Vitamin E 600 mg/day or placebo during and for 3 months after completion of chemotherapy treatment | Vitamin E: 21.4%, unblinded control group: 68.5%; p = 0 .026; RR = 0.31 (95% CI: 0.11–0.9) |
| Pace et al. (2010, Italy) [13] | Randomised, controlled study | 41 total; vitamin E: 17, placebo: 24 | 58 (28–71) | 58.5 (32–74) | Vitamin E 400 mg per day before chemotherapy and lasted for 3 months after cisplatin therapy | Vitamin E: 5.9%, Placebo: 41.7%; p <0 .01; RR = 0.14 (95% CI: 0.02–1.00) |
| Kottschade et al. (2011, USA) [14] | phase III, randomised, controlled study | 189 total; vitamin E: 96, placebo: 93 | NR | NR | Vitamin E 300 mg, twice daily, initiated within 4 days before chemotherapy and continued 1 month after chemotherapy | Vitamin E: 34% (95% CI, 25.0% to 44.8%), Placebo: 29% (95% CI: 20.1–39.4%); p = 0.43 |
| Afonseca et al. (2013, Brazil) [15] | Phase II, randomised, controlled study | 34 total; vitamin E: 18, placebo: 16 | 56 (29–76) | 57 (40–71) | Vitamin E 400 mg/day, five days before starting oxaliplatin treatment until the end of the chemotherapy | Vitamin E: 83%, Placebo: 68%; p = 0.45 |
Age was reported as median (range) or mean ± SD
RR – relative risk; CI – confidence interval; NR – not reported