Meta-Analysis in Clinical Research
Authors: Richard D. Gelber, Aron Goldhirsch
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Letters and Corrections1 January 1988Meta-Analysis in Clinical ResearchRICHARD D. GELBER, Ph.D., ARON GOLDHIRSCH, M.D.RICHARD D. GELBER, Ph.D.Search for more papers by this author, ARON GOLDHIRSCH, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-108-1-158_2 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: The use of meta-analysis to formally combine results from several clinical trials is growing rapidly. The article by L'Abbé and associates (1) reviews important design and statistical issues related to the process of meta-analysis. Unfortunately, the authors do not address issues regarding the interpretation of results; aspects that are medically relevant for patient care decision making are neglected.Three points should be made. First, as we recently described for cancer medicine (2), the result of a meta-analysis is based on an "arithmetic construct." The null hypothesis may be tested despite this construct because of the assumption of...References1. L'ABBÉDETSKYO'ROURKE KAK. Meta-analysis in clinical research. Ann Intern Med. 1987;107:224-33. LinkGoogle Scholar2. GELBERGOLDHIRSCH RA. The concept of an overview of cancer clinical trials with special emphasis on early breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 1986;4:1696-703. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. STAMPFERGOLDHABERYUSUFPETOHENNEKENS MSSRC. Effect of intravenous streptokinase on acute myocardial infarction: pooled results from randomized trials. N Engl J Med. 1982;307:1180-2. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. ZELEN M. Intravenous streptokinase for acute myocardial infarction [Letter]. N Engl J Med. 1983;308:593. Google Scholar5. . Effectiveness of intravenous thrombolytic treatment in acute myocardial infarction. Lancet. 1986;1:397-402. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. Review of mortality results in randomised trials in early breast cancer. Lancet. 1984;2:1205. Google Scholar7. GELBERGOLDHIRSCH RA. Interpretation of results from subset analyses within overviews of randomized clinical trials. Stat Med. 1987;6:371-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar1. L'ABBÉDETSKYO'ROURKE KAK. Meta-analysis in clinical research. Ann Intern Med. 1987;107:224-33. LinkGoogle Scholar2. YUSUFSIMONELLENBURG SRS. Proceedings of methodologie issues in overviews of randomized clinical trials. Stat Med. 1987;6:217-409. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. SACKSCHALMERS HT. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT's) [Abstract]. Clin Res. 1985;33:525A. Google Scholar4. SACKSBERRIERREITMANANCONA-BERKCHALMERS HJDVT. Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. N Engl J Med. 1987;316:450-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 January 1988Volume 108, Issue 1Page: 158-159KeywordsClinical trialsDecision makingPatients Issue Published: 1 January 1988 PDF DownloadLoading ...