Table 2.
Absolute risk differences between 1-day and 3-day DEX intervention arms for efficacy end points
| End point | Absolute RD (%) | 95% CI | P for overall effect | P for heterogeneity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All studies | ||||
| CR, acute period | 0 | −2 to 3 | 0.87 | 0.61 |
| CR, delayed period | −1 | −5 to 3 | 0.64 | 0.82 |
| CP, acute period | 0 | −3 to 3 | 0.84 | 0.56 |
| CP, delayed period | −4 | −8 to 1 | 0.10 | 0.89 |
| TC, acute period | 1 | −3 to 4 | 0.72 | 0.64 |
| TC, delayed period | −2 | −6 to 3 | 0.40 | 0.86 |
| MEC studiesa | ||||
| CR, acute period | 1 | −2 to 5 | 0.38 | 0.56 |
| CR, delayed period | −2 | −9 to 4 | 0.48 | 0.75 |
| CP, acute period | 1 | −4 to 5 | 0.74 | 0.25 |
| CP, delayed period | −2 | −9 to 4 | 0.51 | 0.69 |
| TC, acute period | 0 | −5 to 6 | 0.90 | 0.31 |
| TC, delayed period | 0 | −8 to 7 | 0.89 | 0.59 |
| AC studies | ||||
| CR, acute period | −2 | −6 to 2 | 0.36 | 0.50 |
| CR, delayed period | 0 | −5 to 5 | 0.94 | 0.53 |
| CP, acute period | 0 | −6 to 5 | 0.87 | 0.52 |
| CP, delayed period | −4 | −10 to 1 | 0.11 | 0.76 |
| TC, acute period | 1 | −5 to 7 | 0.69 | 0.73 |
| TC, delayed period | −3 | −8 to 3 | 0.34 | 0.79 |
| Studies without an NK1-RA | ||||
| CR, acute period | 1 | −2 to 5 | 0.37 | 0.77 |
| CR, delayed period | −3 | −8 to 3 | 0.35 | 0.87 |
| CP, acute period | 1 | −3 to 5 | 0.59 | 0.33 |
| CP, delayed period | −3 | −9 to 3 | 0.29 | 0.79 |
| TC, acute period | 0 | −5 to 5 | 0.99 | 0.45 |
| TC, delayed period | 0 | −6 to 6 | 0.87 | 0.75 |
| Studies with an NK-1RAb | ||||
| CR, acute period | −3 | −8 to 2 | 0.27 | 0.38 |
| CR, delayed period | 1 | −5 to 6 | 0.83 | 0.42 |
| CP, acute period | −2 | −8 to 4 | 0.55 | 0.48 |
| CP, delayed period | −4 | −10 to 2 | 0.19 | 0.56 |
| TC, acute period | 2 | −4 to 9 | 0.51 | 0.61 |
| TC, delayed period | −3 | −10 to 3 | 0.29 | 0.62 |
| Mixed studies | ||||
| CR, acute period | 3 | −2 to 8 | 0.23 | 0.32 |
| CR, delayed period | −1 | −8 to 7 | 0.85 | 0.47 |
| CP, acute period | 3 | −2 to 9 | 0.26 | 0.24 |
| CP, delayed period | −1 | −8 to 7 | 0.86 | 0.39 |
| TC, acute period | 2 | −7 to 11 | 0.64 | 0.19 |
| TC, delayed period | 2 | −6 to 11 | 0.59 | 1.00 |
| Only-women studies | ||||
| CR, acute period | −1 | −4 to 2 | 0.55 | 0.75 |
| CR, delayed period | −1 | −5 to 3 | 0.66 | 0.67 |
| CP, acute period | −1 | −5 to 2 | 0.48 | 0.75 |
| CP, delayed period | −5 | −10 to 0 | 0.06 | 0.92 |
| TC, acute period | 0 | −4 to 5 | 0.91 | 0.65 |
| TC, delayed period | −1 | −6 to 4 | 0.62 | 0.39 |
Abbreviations: DEX dexamethasone, RD risk difference, CI confidence interval, CR complete response, CP complete protection, TC total control, MEC moderately emetogenic chemotherapy, AC anthracycline and cyclophosphamide, NK-1RA neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist
aall patients received chemotherapy regimens classified as MEC
ball patients received the combination of AC
A RD below 0 (negative absolute difference) favours the 3-day DEX intervention arm and a RD above 0 (positive absolute difference) favours the 1-day DEX intervention arm