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ABSTRACT: Background
Real-world data studies usually consider biases related to measured confounders. We emulate a target trial implementing study design principles of randomized trials to observational studies; controlling biases related to selection, especially immortal time; and measured confounders.Methods
This comprehensive analysis emulating a randomized clinical trial compared overall survival in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC), receiving as first-line treatment, either paclitaxel alone or combined to bevacizumab. We used data from 5538 patients extracted from the Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics-MBC cohort to emulate a target trial using advanced statistical adjustment techniques including stabilized inverse-probability weighting and G-computation, dealing with missing data with multiple imputation, and performing a quantitative bias analysis for residual bias due to unmeasured confounders.Results
Emulation led to 3211 eligible patients, and overall survival estimates achieved with advanced statistical methods favored the combination therapy. Real-world effect sizes were close to that assessed in the existing E2100 randomized clinical trial (hazard ratio = 0.88, P = .16), but the increased sample size allowed to achieve a higher level of precision in real-world estimates (ie, reduced confidence intervals). Quantitative bias analysis confirmed the robustness of the results with respect to potential unmeasured confounding.Conclusion
Target trial emulation with advanced statistical adjustment techniques is a promising approach to investigate long-term impact of innovative therapies in the French Epidemiological Strategy and Medical Economics-MBC cohort while minimizing biases and provides opportunities for comparative efficacy through the synthetic control arms provided.Database registration
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03275311.
SUBMITTER: Antoine A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10407701 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Antoine Alison A Pérol David D Robain Mathieu M Delaloge Suzette S Lasset Christine C Drouet Youenn Y
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 20230801 8
<h4>Background</h4>Real-world data studies usually consider biases related to measured confounders. We emulate a target trial implementing study design principles of randomized trials to observational studies; controlling biases related to selection, especially immortal time; and measured confounders.<h4>Methods</h4>This comprehensive analysis emulating a randomized clinical trial compared overall survival in patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC), receiving as first-line tre ...[more]