The Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR) is a bibliography of publications that report on methods used in the conduct of controlled trials. It includes journal articles, books, and conference proceedings, and the content is sourced from MEDLINE and hand searches. CMR contains studies of methods used in reviews and more general methodological studies that could be relevant to anyone preparing systematic reviews. CMR records contain the title of the article, information on where it was published (bibliographic details), and, in some cases, a summary of the article. They do not contain the full text of the article.
The CMR was produced by the Cochrane UK, until 31st May 2012. There are currently no plans to reinstate the CMR and it is not receiving updates.* If you have any queries, please contact the Cochrane Community Service Team (support@cochrane.org).
The Publishers, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, thanks Update Software for the continued use of their data formats in the Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR).
*Last update in January 2019.
| Title | Practical methods for incorporating summary time-to-event data into meta-analysis. |
| Authors | Tierney JF, Stewart LA, Ghersi D, Burdett S, Sydes MR |
| Source | Trials |
| Date of publication | 2007 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 16 |
| Abstract | Backgound In systematic reviews and meta-analyses, time-to-event outcomes are most appropriately analysed using hazard ratios (HRs). In the absence of individual patient data (IPD), methods are available to obtain HRs and/or associated statistics by carefully manipulating published or other summary data. Awareness and adoption of these methods is somewhat limited, perhaps because they are published in the statistical literature using statistical notation. METHODS: This paper aims to translate the methods for estimating a HR and associated statistics from published time-to-event-analyses into less statistical and more practical guidance and provide a corresponding, easy-to-use calculations spreadsheet, to facilitate the computational aspects. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A wider audience should be better able to understand published time-to-event data in individual trial reports and use it more appropriately in meta-analysis. When faced with particular circumstances, readers can refer to the relevant sections of the paper. The spreadsheet can be used to assist them in carrying out the calculations. CONCLUSIONS: The methods cannot circumvent the potential biases associated with relying on published data for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. However, this practical guide should improve the quality of the analysis and subsequent interpretation of systematic reviews and meta-analyses that include time-to-event outcomes. OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF THIS RESEARCH: Tierney JF, Burdett S, Stewart LA. Feasibility and reliability of using hazard ratios in meta-analyses of published time-to-event data [abstract]. Fourth Symposium on Systematic Reviews: Pushing the Boundaries; 2002 Jul 2-4; Oxford, UK:28. Tierney J, Rydzewska L, Burdett S, Stewart L. Feasibility and reliability of using hazard ratios in meta-analyses of published time-to-event data [abstract]. Ninth Annual Cochrane Colloquium; 2001Oct 9-13; Lyon, France:3. |
| CMR keywords | CMR: Review methodology - data collection - individual patient data - general methods;CMR: Review methodology - meta-analysis - survival data;CMRA4;CMRA9 |
| Reference type | Journal article |