Table 1. Characteristics of Included Trials (n = 45).
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Year of study | 2019 |
| Tumor type | |
| Lung | 7 (16) |
| Ovarian | 6 (13) |
| Breast | 5 (11) |
| Gastric | 4 (9) |
| Prostate | 4 (9) |
| Melanoma | 3 (7) |
| Hematological | 3 (7) |
| Pancreatic | 2 (4) |
| Brain | 2 (4) |
| Other | 9 (20) |
| Type of drug | |
| Cytotoxic | 12 (27) |
| Targeted | 21 (47) |
| Immunotherapy | 7 (16) |
| Other (repurposed drugs) | 5 (11) |
| Type of RCT | |
| Open label | 23 (51) |
| Double blind | 22 (49) |
| Funding | |
| Industry | 33 (73) |
| Public | 9 (20) |
| Mixed | 3 (7) |
| Primary end points | |
| Overall survival | |
| Primary | 12 (27) |
| Coprimary | 5 (11) |
| Progression-free survival | 28 (62) |
| QOL Tool used, No.a | |
| EORTC, various versions | 21 |
| FACT, various versions | 12 |
| EuroQOL, various versions | 12 |
| Lung Cancer Symptom Scale | 3 |
| FOSI | 3 |
| FKSI | 1 |
| No tool mentioned | 1 |
| QOL Assessment time after baseline assessment, No. | |
| Once during treatment period | 2 |
| During treatment period only | 18 |
| During and once after the end of study | 7 |
| During and after until the end of study or disease progression | 16 |
| During with unclear assessment protocol for after therapy | 2 |
Abbreviations: EORTC, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer; FACT, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy; FKSI, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Kidney Symptom Index; FOSI, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Ovarian Symptom Index; QOL, quality of life; RCT, randomized clinical trial.
a
Trials may have used multiple tools.