title: Epidemiology Characteristics, Methodological Assessment and Reporting of Statistical Analysis of Network Meta-Analyses in the Field of Cancer.
abstract: Because of the methodological complexity of network meta-analyses (NMAs), NMAs may be more vulnerable to methodological risks than conventional pair-wise meta-analysis. Our study aims to investigate epidemiology characteristics, conduction of literature search, methodological quality and reporting of statistical analysis process in the field of cancer based on PRISMA extension statement and modified AMSTAR checklist. We identified and included 102 NMAs in the field of cancer. 61 NMAs were conducted using a Bayesian framework. Of them, more than half of NMAs did not report assessment of convergence (60.66%). Inconsistency was assessed in 27.87% of NMAs. Assessment of heterogeneity in traditional meta-analyses was more common (42.62%) than in NMAs (6.56%). Most of NMAs did not report assessment of similarity (86.89%) and did not used GRADE tool to assess quality of evidence (95.08%). 43 NMAs were adjusted indirect comparisons, the methods used were described in 53.49% NMAs. Only 4.65% NMAs described the details of handling of multi group trials and 6.98% described the methods of similarity assessment. The median total AMSTAR-score was 8.00 (IQR: 6.00-8.25). Methodological quality and reporting of statistical analysis did not substantially differ by selected general characteristics. Overall, the quality of NMAs in the field of cancer was generally acceptable.
authors.affiliation: The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.|Evidence-based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.|Key Laboratory of Evidence-based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Evidence-based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.|Key Laboratory of Evidence-based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Evidence-based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.|Key Laboratory of Evidence-based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Xia
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.
authors.forename: Fujian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast-Thyroid Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410000, China.
authors.forename: Lun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin 300193, China.
authors.forename: Ge
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Gai-Qin
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.affiliation: The Second Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Evidence-based Medicine Center of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.|Key Laboratory of Evidence-based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Ke-Hu
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D058028:Research Report / Q000592:standards*; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D000071076:Network Meta-Analysis as Topic