Quality of radiotherapy reporting in randomized controlled trials of Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A systematic review Journal Article
| Authors: | Bekelman, J. E.; Yahalom, J. |
| Article Title: | Quality of radiotherapy reporting in randomized controlled trials of Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A systematic review |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Standards for the reporting of radiotherapy details in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. Although radiotherapy (RT) is an important component of curative therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we postulated that RT reporting may be inadequate in Phase III HL and NHL trials. Methods and Materials: We searched PubMed and the Cochrane registry for reports of RCTs involving RT and either HL or NHL published between 1998 and 2007. We screened 133 titles and abstracts to identify relevant studies. We included a total of 61 reports. We assessed these reports for the presence of six quality measures: target volume, radiation dose, fractionation, radiation prescription, quality assurance (QA) process use, and adherence to QA (i.e., reporting of major or minor deviations). Results: Of 61 reports, 23 (38%) described the target volume. Of the 42 reports involving involved-field RT alone, only 8 (19%) adequately described the target volume. The radiation dose and fractionation was described in most reports (54 reports [89%] and 39 reports [64%], respectively). Thirteen reports specified the RT prescription point (21%). Only 12 reports (20%) described using a RT QA process, and 7 reports (11%) described adherence to the QA process. Conclusion: Reporting of RT in HL and NHL RCTs is deficient. Because the interpretation, replication, and application of RCT results depend on adequate description and QA of therapeutic interventions, consensus standards for RT reporting should be developed and integrated into the peer-review process. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
| Keywords: | clinical trial; cancer radiotherapy; radiation dose; cancer staging; quality control; radiotherapy dosage; radiotherapy; randomized controlled trials as topic; hodgkin disease; health care quality; nonhodgkin lymphoma; targets; radiation oncology; tumor burden; hodgkin's lymphoma; non-hodgkin's lymphoma; quality of radiotherapy reporting; randomized controlled trials; systematic review; dosimetry; quality assurance; total quality management; radiation dose fractionation; clinical trials, phase iii as topic; lymphoma, non-hodgkin; prescriptions; publishing; quality assurance, health care |
| Journal Title: | International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics |
| Volume: | 73 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| ISSN: | 0360-3016 |
| Publisher: | Elsevier Inc. |
| Date Published: | 2009-02-01 |
| Start Page: | 492 |
| End Page: | 498 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.04.058 |
| PUBMED: | 18804334 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | --- - "Cited By (since 1996): 2" - "Export Date: 30 November 2010" - "CODEN: IOBPD" - "Source: Scopus" |
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
Related MSK Work