Survival meta-analysis of individual patient data and survival meta-analysis of published (aggregate) data - Is there an intermediate approach between these two opposite options?

Objective: To describe and evaluate, in comparison with traditional approac hes, a technique of survival meta-analysis (the 'intermediate' method) that re constructs individual patient data (IPD) from the graphs of survival cu rves. Patients: The examples considered in this paper were oncology patients (thr ee data sets) and intensive-care unit patients (one data set). Results: In two data sets from oncology patients, the intermediate method r econstructed IPD from the graphs of the survival curves. In the comparison between true IPD and estimated IPD (two data sets), the correlation analysi s showed an excellent concordance between true survival times and estimated survival times (correlation ranging from r = 0.989 to r = 1). Conclusion: This technique is a compromise between meta-analysis of 'true' IPD and meta-analysis of aggregate data without patient-level information. This intermediate method of survival meta-analysis is suitable for small re search groups that do not have the resources required to conduct a survival meta-analysis based on true IPD.