Table 1 Summary of study characteristics
Study characteristics | Number of studiesa (n = 299) | Percentage of studies |
|---|---|---|
Year of publication | ||
 1985–1989 | 3 | 1.00 |
 1990–1994 | 73 | 24.41 |
 1995–1999 | 104 | 34.78 |
 2000–2004 | 50 | 16.72 |
 2005–2009 | 34 | 11.37 |
 2010–2015 | 35 | 11.71 |
Geographic region | ||
 Europe | 124 | 41.47 |
 North America | 79 | 26.42 |
 Asia | 65 | 21.74 |
 Multi-continent | 19 | 6.35 |
 South America | 4 | 1.34 |
 Africa | 2 | 0.67 |
 Australia | 0 | 0.00 |
 Not reported | 6 | 2.01 |
Study design | ||
 RCT | 246 | 82.27 |
 NRCT | 33 | 11.04 |
 CBA | 1 | 0.33 |
 Cohort | 19 | 6.35 |
Study conduct period | ||
 1980–1989 | 17 | 5.69 |
 1990–1999 | 69 | 23.08 |
 2000–2009 | 40 | 13.38 |
 2010–2013 | 12 | 4.01 |
 Not reported | 161 | 53.85 |
Duration of follow-upb | ||
 1 | 81 | 27.1 |
 2 | 10 | 3.3 |
 3 | 25 | 8.4 |
 4 | 10 | 3.3 |
 5 | 73 | 24.4 |
 6 | 19 | 6.4 |
 7 | 36 | 12.0 |
 >1 Week | 33 | 11.0 |
 Not reported | 12 | 4.0 |
Interventions examined: frequencyc | ||
 Serotonin antagonists: reported as administered alone (administered with corticosteroid) | ||
  Ondansetron | 115 (69) | 38.46 (23.08) |
  Granisetron | 88 (55) | 29.43 (18.39) |
  Tropisetron | 23 (9) | 7.69 (3.01) |
  Dolasetron | 19 (7) | 6.35 (2.34) |
  Ramosetron | 11 (6) | 3.68 (2.01) |
  Palonosetron | 14 (22) | 4.68 (7.36) |
 Comparator antiemetics: | ||
  Metoclopramide | 21 | 7.0 |
  Metoclopramide + steroid | 18 | 6.0 |
  Steroid | 3 | 1.0 |
  Chlorpromazine + steroid | 2 | 0.7 |
  Prochlorperazine | 2 | 0.7 |
  Azasetron + steroid | 1 | 0.3 |
  Chlorpromazine | 1 | 0.3 |
  Metopimazine + steroid | 1 | 0.3 |
  Prochlorperazine + steroid | 1 | 0.3 |
 Serotonin antagonists given with other antiemetic: | ||
  Ondansetron + steroid + metoclopramide | 6 | 2.1 |
  Granisetron + steroid + metoclopramide | 6 | 2.0 |
  Ondansetron + metoclopramide | 2 | 0.7 |
  Granisetron + metoclopramide | 1 | 0.4 |
  Ondansetron + metopimazine | 1 | 0.4 |
  Tropisetron + metopimazine | 1 | 0.4 |
  Granisetron + steroid + prochlorperazine | 1 | 0.4 |
  Ondansetron + steroid + prochlorperazine | 1 | 0.4 |
  Palonosetron + steroid + prochlorperazine | 1 | 0.4 |
  Tropisetron + steroid + metoclopramide | 1 | 0.4 |
  Placebo or no treatment | 16 | 5.67 |
Outcomes reported: frequencyd | ||
 Nausea | 208 | 69.6 |
 Vomiting | 247 | 82.6 |
 CINV | 117 | 39.1 |
 Arrhythmia | 21 | 7.0 |
 Delirium | 14 | 4.7 |
 Mortality | 41 | 13.7 |
 Sudden cardiac death | 3 | 1.0 |
 QT interval | 25 | 8.4 |
Setting | ||
 Multi-center | 128 | 42.8 |
 Single-center | 69 | 23.1 |
 Not specified/not reported | 101 | 33.8 |