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Publication Rate and Discontinuation Percentage of Registered Trials Involving Rotator Cuff Pathology
Joan Miquel1,2, Arnau Verdaguer-Figuerola2, Mireia Vinas-Noguera1
1Orthopaedics & Trauma Department, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí (I3PT-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain.
Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Nearly 40% of rotator cuff tear clinical trials remain unpublished, hindering scientific knowledge sharing. Biological therapy trials showed a higher discontinuation risk.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Clinical Trial Methodology
- Biomedical Research
Background:
- Many clinical trials for rotator cuff tears are registered.
- A significant portion of these patient-enrolled studies remain unpublished.
- This lack of publication creates gaps in scientific knowledge dissemination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the publication rate of registered rotator cuff pathology trials.
- To assess the discontinuation percentage of these clinical trials.
- To identify factors influencing trial publication and discontinuation.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study analyzed clinical trials from four registries.
- Trials were excluded if non-therapeutic, rehabilitation/anesthesia-based, or not completed by 2022.
- Publication status, discontinuation, sample size, and data inconsistencies were verified.
Main Results:
- Out of 152 trials, 60 (39.47%) were unpublished, and 36 (23.68%) were discontinued.
- Biological treatment trials had a higher discontinuation risk (38.18%) compared to others (15.46%; P = .03).
- 27.17% of published trials showed significant discrepancies with registry data.
Conclusions:
- Approximately 40% of rotator cuff tear clinical trials are not published.
- Trials investigating biological therapies exhibit an elevated risk of discontinuation.
- Inconsistencies between registry and publication data are a concern.
