title: Reporting quality of abstracts in phase III clinical trials of systemic therapy in metastatic solid malignancies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Manuscript abstracts represent a critical source of information for oncology practitioners. Practitioners may utilize the information contained in abstracts as a basis for treatment decisions particularly when full-text articles are not accessible. In 2007, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) extension statement for abstracts provided a minimum list of elements that should be included in abstracts. In this study we evaluate the degree of adherence to these recommendations and accessibility of full text publications in oncology publications.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of abstracts of randomized, controlled, phase III trials in metastatic solid malignancies published between January 2009 and December 2011 in PubMed, Medline, and Embase was completed. Abstracts were assigned a completeness score of 0-18 based on the number of CONSORT-recommended elements. Accessibility through open access was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  174 abstracts with data for 95,956 patients were reviewed. The median completeness score was 9 (range, 3-17). Open access to full text articles was available for 80 % of abstracts. The remaining 20 % (35 out of 174) had a median cost of 38 USD (range: $22-49.95). The least frequently reported elements were: trial design description (20 %), participant allocation method (13 %), blinding (24 %), trial enrollment status (22 %), registration and name of trial (26 %) and funding source (18 %). The most frequently reported elements were eligibility criteria (98 %), study interventions (100 %), and primary endpoint (87 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is poor adherence to the CONSORT recommendations for abstract reporting in publications of randomized cancer clinical trials which could negatively impact clinical decision-making. Full-text articles are frequently available through open access.
authors.affiliation: Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, Lancaster General Health, Lancaster, PA, 17604, USA. ssivendran2@lghealth.org.
authors.forename: Shanthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivendran
authors.affiliation: Hospice and Community Care, Lancaster, PA, USA. knewport@hospicecommunity.org.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Newport
authors.affiliation: Research Institute, Lancaster General Health, Lancaster, PA, USA. MAHorst@lghealth.org.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horst
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Lebanon, PA, USA. adamjalbertmd@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai, NY, USA. matthew.galsky@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Galsky
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011786:Quality Control; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents