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Participants in prospective, randomized clinical trials for resected non‐small cell lung cancer have improved survival compared with nonparticipants in such trials
Author(s) -
Davis Scott,
Wright Peter W.,
Schulman Susan F.,
Hill Lucius D.,
Pinkham Roland D.,
Johnson Lloyd P.,
Jones Thomas W.,
Kellogg Howard B.,
Radke Hubert M.,
Sikkema Wesley W.,
Jolly Philip C.,
Hammar Samuel P.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19851001)56:7<1710::aid-cncr2820560741>3.0.co;2-t
Subject(s) - medicine , lung cancer , clinical trial , randomized controlled trial , cancer , placebo , stage (stratigraphy) , radiation therapy , population , oncology , relative survival , survival rate , prospective cohort study , surgery , pathology , cancer registry , paleontology , alternative medicine , environmental health , biology
The survival of 78 patients with resected non‐small cell lung cancer entered in prospective, randomized investigational trials is compared to that of a population‐based group of control patients not included in such trials. The survival of trial patients is significantly better than that of controls ( P < 0.001). This survival advantage for trial participants is most apparent among late Stage I patients, and is observed after matching for known prognostic factors ( i.e. , primary tumor size, nodal status, tumor histology) and after adjusting in the analysis for age, sex, and the administration of radiation therapy. Several explanations for the improved outcome for trial patients are explored, including differences in preoperative evaluation, staging, surgical technique, placebo effects, and patient motivation. These results suggest the possibility that inclusion in these controlled cancer trials may have had an inherent advantage for all participants. Cancer 56: 1710‐1718, 1985.