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Confidence intervals and survival estimates: a systematic review of 3 oncology journals.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Urbanic, JJ; Lee, WR
Published in: Am J Clin Oncol
August 2006

PURPOSE: Kaplan-Meier methods generate an estimate of survival when follow-up is less than complete. Confidence intervals (CI) provide a range of values that is likely to contain the true result. We hypothesized that reporting of CI around survival estimates is not uniform. METHODS: We searched all articles in randomly selected issues of Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO), Cancer, and International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology, and Physics (IJROBP) years 1999, 2001, and 2004. Articles reporting overall or median survival were reviewed to determine if CI were reported in text or graphical form. Data regarding disease site, intervention, study size, and type of study were collected. RESULTS: A total of 313 articles reported overall or median survival from 35 issues of the 3 journals (IJROBP 115, JCO 132, Cancer 66). CI were reported in 97/313 (31.0%) articles reviewed. CI reporting was more common in prospective clinical trials (38%) than retrospective reviews (25%), P = 0.018. If patients were treated with chemotherapy the article was more likely to report CI (no chemo 20% versus chemo 40%; P = 0.001). CI reporting varied with journal (IJROBP 20%, Cancer 29%, JCO 42%, P = 0.001). CI reporting increased according to year of publication (25% in 1999, 27% in 2001, and 41% in 2004, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: A majority of studies in major oncology journals do not report CI with survival estimates. The likelihood of reporting CI is associated with study type (prospective versus retrospective), use of chemotherapy, journal, and year of publication.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Am J Clin Oncol

DOI

EISSN

1537-453X

Publication Date

August 2006

Volume

29

Issue

4

Start / End Page

405 / 407

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Treatment Outcome
  • Survival Analysis
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Neoplasms
  • Humans
  • Confidence Intervals
  • 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis
  • 1105 Dentistry
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Urbanic, J. J., & Lee, W. R. (2006). Confidence intervals and survival estimates: a systematic review of 3 oncology journals. Am J Clin Oncol, 29(4), 405–407. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.coc.0000227525.96972.2f
Urbanic, James J., and W Robert Lee. “Confidence intervals and survival estimates: a systematic review of 3 oncology journals.Am J Clin Oncol 29, no. 4 (August 2006): 405–7. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.coc.0000227525.96972.2f.
Urbanic JJ, Lee WR. Confidence intervals and survival estimates: a systematic review of 3 oncology journals. Am J Clin Oncol. 2006 Aug;29(4):405–7.
Urbanic, James J., and W. Robert Lee. “Confidence intervals and survival estimates: a systematic review of 3 oncology journals.Am J Clin Oncol, vol. 29, no. 4, Aug. 2006, pp. 405–07. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/01.coc.0000227525.96972.2f.
Urbanic JJ, Lee WR. Confidence intervals and survival estimates: a systematic review of 3 oncology journals. Am J Clin Oncol. 2006 Aug;29(4):405–407.

Published In

Am J Clin Oncol

DOI

EISSN

1537-453X

Publication Date

August 2006

Volume

29

Issue

4

Start / End Page

405 / 407

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Treatment Outcome
  • Survival Analysis
  • Oncology & Carcinogenesis
  • Neoplasms
  • Humans
  • Confidence Intervals
  • 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis
  • 1105 Dentistry