ObjectiveTo investigate the status of research and development methods of Cochrane overviews. MethodsThe Cochrane Library and PubMed were searched up to March 2014 to identify Cochrane overviews. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and assessed and analyzed search strategy, quality assessment method, data analysis, and study results. ResultsA total of 18 Cochrane overviews were included. Among them, 4 (22.2%) overviews included formal statistical indirect comparison; 8 (44.4%) included only results from direct comparison; 6 (33.4%) only systematically analyzed current studies without data pooling; 12 (66.7%) only searched The Cochrane Library, while 6 (33.3%) expanded search to other databases; 14 (77.8%) applied the AMSTAR tool to assess methodological quality of included literature; 12 (66.7%) applied the GRADE system to assess the quality of evidence; and 9 (50%) yielded new outcomes. ConclusionCurrently, the development and reporting standards of Cochrane overviews are still immature. Investigators should choose proper methods based on research objectives when developing Cochrane overviews.
Objective To overview the systematic reviews of recombinant human endostatin combined with platinum compounds for malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Methods According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and searching strategies, we screened the systematic reviews of recombinant human endostatin combined with platinum compounds for the treatment of MPE by searching the Embase, PubMed, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, CQVIP Database and Wanfang Database. The searching time was from January 1999 to December 2021. The methodological quality was evaluated using AMSTAR 2 tool, the report quality was evaluated using PRISMA statement, and the evidence quality of the outcome indicators was graded according to the GRADE system. Finally, RevMan 5.3 software was used to quantitatively merge and analyze the original research effect values of the main outcome indicators with low level of evidence. Results A total of 9 systematic reviews/meta-analyses involving 8 outcome indicators and totally 50 outcomes were included. The average PRISMA scale score was 22.28±1.37, with 6 reports being relatively complete and 3 reports having certain reporting defects. The overall methodological quality of the 9 systematic reviews was extremely low. Most of the 50 outcomes were graded as “low” (31 outcomes) or “intermediate” (18 outcomes) quality. The results of 9 systematic reviews all showed that the clinical efficacy of dual therapy was more satisfactory than that of platinum-based preparations in the treatment of MPE, and re-quantitative analysis also confirmed that there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two treatments (P>0.05). Conclusions Considering the existing evidence and the results of meta-analysis, the dual therapy composed of recombinant human endostatin and platinum compounds is more effective in the treatment of MPE, and there is no difference in the incidence of related adverse events. However, because of its poor methodological quality and the low level of evidence, the above conclusions can only provide a certain reference and need to be confirmed by further research.
Objective To overview the systematic reviews/meta-analyses of radiofrequency ablation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for primary liver cancer. Methods We searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Chongqing VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases using computers, with a search deadline of December 31, 2022 for systematic reviews/meta-analyses of radiofrequency ablation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for primary liver cancer. The AMSTAR 2 scale, PRISMA statement, and GRADE grading system were used to evaluate the reporting quality, methodological quality, and evidence level. Results A total of 13 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were included, published from 2011 to 2022. The evaluation results of the AMSTAR 2 scale showed that 4 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were of low quality, while the rest were of extremely low quality, without medium to high quality systematic reviews/meta-analyses. The evaluation results of PRISMA statement showed that the scores of 9 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were 15-21, with certain reporting defects, and only 4 were relatively complete. The GRADE system evaluation of 75 evidence bodies for 9 clinical outcome indicators showed that there was no high quality of evidence, with medium quality accounting for 29%, low quality accounting for 32%, and extremely low quality accounting for 39%. Conclusions Radiofrequency ablation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization can improve the 1-year and 3-year overall survival rates of patients with primary liver cancer with medium quality of evidence. However, its impact on 5-year overall survival rate, recurrence-free survival rate, complications, and whether it is more effective for hepatocellular carcinoma with a diameter of 3-5 cm still require more high-quality clinical research and systematic evaluation to verify.