Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39921868›Full record

ArticleNeuro-oncology2025

Identifying appropriate external control datasets in support of future glioblastoma clinical trials leveraging external data.

Rifaquat Rahman, Steffen Ventz, Robert Redd, Geoffrey Fell, Yujue Tan, Peter Orio, Kirk Tanner, Patrick Y Wen, Lorenzo Trippa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuro-oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Rifaquat RahmanDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Steffen VentzDivision of Biostatistics & Health Data Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2229-9560
Robert ReddDepartment of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA.
Geoffrey FellDepartment of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6436-6691
Yujue TanDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Peter OrioDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Kirk TannerKirk Tanner, PhD. National Brain Tumor Society, Newton, USA.
Patrick Y WenPatrick Y. Wen, MD (Professor). Center for Neuro-Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Lorenzo TrippaLorenzo Trippa, PhD. Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA.

Funding

Women's CancerP30CA077598 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI Timothy C. Hallstrom · 1998 to 2026
$100.4M
Statistical Methods and Validation Analyses for the Integration of External Data in Clinical TrialsR01LM013352 · NLM · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI TRIPPA, LORENZO · 2021 to 2024
$1.5M
NCI NIH HHS 5P30CA077598-23NCI NIH HHS P30 CA077598NLM NIH HHS R01 LM013352
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent interest in leveraging external data for clinical trial design and analysis in glioblastoma has raised questions on the identification of appropriate data to use as external controls for future trials. We perform a comprehensive analysis assessing candidate sources of external data and comparing clinical trial and real-world datasets in newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

methodsIndividual patient-level data (PLD) from several clinical trials, a large academic institutional database and a registry (National Cancer Database) were used for analysis of patients receiving standard of care radiation with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide. Data summaries from randomized trials 2012-2022 were analyzed to account for trials without available PLD. Multivariable modeling was employed to compare survival across datasets.

resultsIn total, 8 datasets with PLD for 3061 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated with standard chemoradiation were analyzed. Patients on trials were younger (age < 60:64% vs. 48%, p < 0.001) and had higher KPS (KPS≥90:58% vs. 48%, P < .001) compared to non-trial patients. Patients in clinical trials exhibited inferior survival relative to non-trial patients (HR 1.30,95%CI 1.13-1.48, P < .001) after adjustment for age, sex, KPS, extent of resection and MGMT methylation status. In assessment of data summaries of 19 randomized trials, there was no detectable time-trend toward improved outcomes 2012-2022.

conclusionsIn newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients treated with standard of care chemoradiation, there were significant differences between trial datasets and real-world datasets but no evidence of a trial effect benefit from trial participation. After adjustment of relevant covariates, there was no evidence of temporal drift of improved survival over the last decade.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsChemoradiotherapyClinical Trials as TopicDatasets as TopicGlioblastomaAdultAgedDatabases, FactualFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSurvival RateTemozolomideTemozolomideclinical trialsdrug developmentexternal control armsglioblastoma

Identifiers

PMID39921868
PMCPMC12309709

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.