Database

Access the DATABASE of PROMOTION, the international research project aimed at answering key questions on the added value of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) in cancer research.

PROMOTION Methodology

Characteristics of Clinical Trials included in the Registry

  1. Randomized Controlled Clinical trials
  2. Enrolling at least 50 patients overall
  3. Having included a Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) component
  4. Published since January 2004

Evidence Acquisition

Published papers meeting the above reported criteria are mainly searched through the following electronic databases: PubMed/Medline and the Cochrane library.

Methods of evaluation of studies

After having verified eligibility of articles, at least two reviewers (i.e., study collaborators) independently review and extract several information. Each reviewer has a personal password to access the online system and can complete the electronic-data extraction form (eDEF). This approach allows a double blind data entry procedure to ensure the highest possible quality data collection in the PROMOTION Registry. Discrepancies in the two evaluations are recorded and a discrepancy Form is electronically generated by the data collection system. On the basis of this discrepancy Form the two reviewers discuss each issue by revisiting the paper to reconcile any differences. When consensus is achieved on each single variable, a final eDEF (for that specific article) is then locked, validated and imputed in the PROMOTION database.

Type of information included for each study

More than 50 different information (i.e., variables) are included in the eDEF. Data extracted for each RCT includes:

  1. Basic trial demographics and clinical and PRO characteristics (e.g., number of patients enrolled, study location, treatments being compared, PRO instrument used, clinical and PRO assessments);
  2. Level of PRO reporting, based on the recently published recommendations by the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) (Brundage M, et al, Qual Life Res, 22: 1161-1175, 2013) and the CONSORT PRO recommendations (Calvert M, et al, JAMA, 309: 814-822, 2013);
  3. Bias, assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool which rates RCTs for their adequacy of sequence generation, allocation concealment, blinding of participant/personnel, incomplete outcome data, blinding of outcome assessment, selective outcome reporting and other possible source of bias (Higgins JP, et al, BMJ 2011; 343: d5928).

 

Lastly, a summary of clinical and PRO data is also extracted from each paper reviewed.

Cancer Disease sites included in the Registry

To date (January 2023) 1364 studies have been included in the Registry.

See more details hereunder:

Cancer Disease sitesPublished UntilNr. of RCTs
BreastJune 2022307
Lung (Non-Small Cell Lung)June 2022215
ProstateJune 2022208
Colorectal/analJune 2022189
GynecologicalJune 2022129
BladderFebruary 201936
Leukemia/Lymphoma/MDS*January 201981
Multiple MyelomaJanuary 202126
Head & NeckJune 201566
Esophago-gastricFebruary 201329
PancreasMarch 201324
BrainJune 201314
KidneyJune 201313
MelanomaSeptember 201310
Liver primaryMarch 20139
SarcomaAugust 20135
TesticularMay 20123
*Myelodysplastic syndromes

Access PROMOTION Database

Access the DATABASE of PROMOTION, the international research project aimed at answering key questions on the added value of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) in cancer research.