Table A3.
Risk of bias in observational trials included in systematic review.
| Quality Assessment | Zhang 2008 [24] | Augustsson 2010 [25] | Hone 2013 [26] | Klimes 2014 [27] | Tanaka 2018 [28] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case series collected in more than one centre, i.e., multi-center study | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Is the hypothesis/aim/objective of the study clearly described? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Are the inclusion and exclusion criteria (case definition) clearly reported? | Yes/No | Yes/No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Is there a clear definition of the outcomes reported? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Were data collected prospectively? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Is there an explicit statement that patients were recruited consecutively? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Are the main findings of the study clearly described? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Are outcomes stratified? (e.g., by disease stage, abnormal test results, patient characteristics) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |