Core outcome research measures in anal cancer.

Abstract

We would like to draw attention of the readership to the problems associated with outcome heterogeneity in clinical trials, with particular reference to anal cancer. Outcome heterogeneity, and the related issue of reporting outcome bias, is a barrier to evidence synthesis [1] [2], particularly in rare diseases where few randomised trials are published. A recent review [3] of trials of chemoradiation for anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) highlights the heterogeneity observed in reporting outcomes and calls for the development of a core set of outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.