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Quality of systematic reviews in pediatric oncology--a systematic review

Andreas Lundh1, Sebastiaan L Knijnenburg, Anders W Jørgensen

  • 1Department of Pediatric Oncology, Emma Children's Hospital/Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. chcrg@amc.uva.nl

Cancer Treatment Reviews
|October 20, 2009
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Systematic reviews in pediatric oncology often have methodological flaws, increasing bias risk. Cochrane reviews show higher quality than regular journal reviews, but scrutiny is still needed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Systematic Reviews

Background:

  • Systematic reviews are crucial for evidence-based decision-making in pediatric oncology.
  • The methodological quality of existing systematic reviews in this field requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the methodological quality of all available systematic reviews in pediatric oncology.
  • To compare the quality of systematic reviews published in regular journals versus Cochrane reviews.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic literature search identified eligible systematic reviews.
  • The Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire (10 items) was used to assess methodological quality.
  • Data on clinical and methodological characteristics were extracted.

Main Results:

  • 117 systematic reviews were included (99 regular, 18 Cochrane).
  • Overall methodological quality was low across all reviews, with a median score of 2/7.
  • Cochrane reviews (median 6/7) demonstrated significantly higher quality than regular journal reviews (median 1/7).

Conclusions:

  • Many systematic reviews in pediatric oncology suffer from significant methodological flaws, leading to a high risk of bias.
  • While Cochrane reviews are superior, they can also exhibit methodological issues.
  • Individual systematic review methodologies must be critically evaluated before accepting findings.

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