The need for a re-evaluation of best supportive care studies reported to date
2011
Re-evaluating Best Supportive Care Studies
Editorial
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Currow D C, Foley K, Zafar S Y, Wheeler J L, Abernethy A P
Primary Institution: Flinders University
Conclusion
The study emphasizes the need for standardized best supportive care in clinical trials to ensure reliable results and improve patient outcomes.
Supporting Evidence
- Temel et al's study showed improved survival and quality of life for lung cancer patients receiving palliative care.
- Many cancer trials have not standardized best supportive care, leading to inconsistent results.
- Non-standardized best supportive care can mislead clinical interpretations and generalizations.
Takeaway
This article says that when doctors do studies on cancer treatments, they need to make sure the care they give to patients in the control group is the same everywhere, so we can trust the results.
Potential Biases
There is a risk of bias due to non-standardized care in control arms of clinical trials.
Limitations
Descriptions of best supportive care in studies are often poor and inconsistent.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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