Meta-analysis: Methods, strengths, and weaknesses

Meta-analysis is a systematic, quantitative approach to the combination of data from several clinical trials that address the same question. This anal ytic approach can help resolve questions that remain unclear from the resul ts of individual trials. Meta-analysis is of particular interest in oncolog y because of the small differences in efficacy between therapeutic alternat ives. The large number of patients included in meta-analyses permit small t o moderate benefits of a treatment to be reliably detected and larger treat ment benefits to Be quantified more accurately. Despite these apparent bene fits, the use of meta-analysis has met with a great deal of resistance and has generated much controversy in clinical journals, After a brief descript ion of the basic methods of conducting meta-analyses, this article will exp lore both their advantages and disadvantages.