Table 3 Sample excerpts of IfR statements
IfR statements | IfR elements |
|---|---|
Pasquali et al., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011123.pub2: | |
“Randomised controlled trials with longer follow-up periods (12 to 24 months) for participants treated with new therapeutic agents immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies are needed to assess impact on overall survival. Other outcomes that need to be assessed include quality of life and issues relating to health economics, such as cost-effectiveness.” | PICO elements: Patient, intervention, outcome, time frame |
“Future published trials should guarantee adequate reporting by adhering to guidelines such as CONSORT.” “Identification of biomarkers for guide selection of people most responsive” | Additional IfR elements: cost-effectiveness, reporting standards (CONSORT), biomarker |
“A common reason for downgrading evidence quality was imprecision“ | GRADE concepts: Imprecision |
Lee et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1159/000446115: | |
“Further trials, particularly investigating the combination of bevacizumab with other targeted therapies, are warranted.” | PICO elements: Patient, Intervention, Study design |
“In addition, the demonstration of a PFS benefit overall strongly argues for ongoing research into the best way to sequence these agents in the treatment paradigm for NET [neuroendocrine tumors]” “However, this will need to be assessed in an RCT.” | Additional IfR elements: individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis |
“The use of individual patient data meta-analyses would decrease the risk of bias and provide greater statistical certainty regarding the benefit of specific targeted agents, and it would allow further subgroup analyses.” | GRADE concepts: Risk of bias |
Wieser et al., 2010; https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-10-309: | |
“Thus, further clarification of which patient group would benefit by perioperative chemotherapy, whether applied pre- or post-operatively, and which drug or combination of drugs would be most effectively applied, is essential” | PICO elements: Patient, intervention, outcome |
“The results of further studies will hopefully elucidate the most suitable treatment modality in operable patients.” “… further efforts to improve chemotherapeutic regimens to minimize toxicities are clearly warranted.” | Additional IfR elements: IPD meta-analysis |
“The results must therefore be interpreted cautiously, as an IPD-based meta-analysis would give a more reliable estimation than one based on abstracted data.” And: “Our results should be confirmed by an IPD-based meta-analysis.” | GRADE concepts: None |