Reduced survival with radiotherapy and razoxane compared with radiotherapy alone for inoperable lung cancer in a randomised double-blind trial
1985

Razoxane and Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer

Sample size: 148 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): C.E. Newman, R. Cox, C.H.J. Ford, J.R. Johnson, D.R. Jones, M. Wheaton

Primary Institution: Memorial University of Newfoundland

Hypothesis

Does razoxane improve survival when combined with radiotherapy for inoperable lung cancer?

Conclusion

Razoxane combined with radiotherapy resulted in poorer survival compared to radiotherapy alone.

Supporting Evidence

  • Median survival time in the razoxane group was 80 days and in the placebo group it was 175 days.
  • The sequential design showed that the razoxane group was experiencing poorer survival.
  • Razoxane was significantly inferior to placebo with a hazard ratio of 1.76.

Takeaway

This study found that a drug called razoxane made patients with lung cancer live shorter lives when used with radiation therapy.

Methodology

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing survival between patients receiving razoxane and those receiving placebo alongside radiotherapy.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to lack of direct assessment of patient compliance.

Limitations

The trial was terminated early due to observed inferiority of razoxane, limiting the validity of standard analyses.

Participant Demographics

Patients with untreated non-small cell or unknown histology lung cancer, no evidence of metastatic disease.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.05

Confidence Interval

(1.16, 2.83)

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

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