Effectiveness and safety of weekly therapy versus 3-weekly therapy of paclitaxel plus carboplatin in women with ovarian cancer: a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

IntroductionNetwork meta-analyses have confirmed that paclitaxel plus carboplatin could improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with platinum alone. However, detailed implementation schedule (weekly or 3-weekly therapy) was not specified in clinical practice guidelines. Evidence from studies is also inconsistent. We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the benefits and harms of weekly therapy and 3-weekly therapy of paclitaxel combined with carboplatin in women with ovarian cancer.MethodsWe will search PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases to include relevant randomised controlled trials comparing weekly therapy versus 3-weekly therapy of paclitaxel combined with carboplatin for women with ovarian cancer. Random-effects model will be used to pool data for patient-reported outcomes including survival rate, OS, PFS and adverse events. Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach will be used to rate the quality of evidence.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review and meta-analysis will be based on published data and does not therefore require specific ethical approval or consent for participation. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.OSF registration number10.17605/OSF.IO/GJUMA.