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Table 2 Mean differences compared with odds ratios

From: Interpreting small treatment differences from quality of life data in cancer trials: an alternative measure of treatment benefit and effect size for the EORTC-QLQ-C30

  

Odds ratio

Mean Difference (MD)

Study

QLQ-C30

Odds Ratio

Lower 95 % CI

Upper 95 % CI

P-value

Difference

Lower 95 % CI

Upper 95 % CI

P-value

TOPICAL

QL

0.99840

0.92173

1.08145

0.4687

0.6433

−1.4409

2.7274

0.5450

(N = 670)

PF

1.10396

1.01803

1.19714

0.0168

3.2075

1.2060

5.2090

0.0017

 

SF

1.00312

0.90378

1.11339

0.4932

0.9528

−2.0474

3.9529

0.5334

 

RF

1.07206

0.96858

1.18660

0.1790

2.2751

−0.8554

5.4055

0.1542

 

EF

1.13356

1.02036

1.25931

0.0196

2.3352

−0.2060

4.8763

0.0717

 

CF

1.14062

1.03104

1.26184

0.0107

3.6824

1.5497

5.8152

0.0007

 

FA

0.97062

0.88076

1.06965

0.5472

0.4928

−2.0393

3.0249

0.7027

 

NV

1.03299

0.90587

1.17796

0.6279

2.0823

0.2119

3.9527

0.0291

 

PA

0.84858

0.75492

0.95386

0.0060

−4.1552

−6.7318

−1.5786

0.0016

 

DY

0.90265

0.83349

0.97755

0.0118

−6.9802

−9.8067

−4.1538

<.0001

 

SL

1.06142

0.96736

1.16463

0.2078

−0.5849

−3.4526

2.2829

0.6892

 

AP

1.14413

1.04285

1.25524

0.0044

7.7375

4.3808

11.0943

<.0001

 

CO

0.94016

0.85740

1.03090

0.1892

−9.3181

−11.9276

−6.7085

<.0001

 

DI

1.11676

0.99977

1.24744

0.0505

15.0773

12.5221

17.6324

<.0001

 

FI

1.06304

0.94126

1.20057

0.3245

−3.9678

−5.8688

−2.0668

<.0001

SOCCAR

QL

1.05911

0.94600

1.18576

0.3186

−0.3363

−3.2927

2.6201

0.8234

(N = 130)

PF

1.00632

0.88085

1.14967

0.5260

−0.7855

−3.5393

1.9684

0.5758

 

SF

1.07805

0.94331

1.23204

0.2696

−0.1569

−3.8385

3.5246

0.9333

 

RF

0.92530

0.81065

1.05617

0.2497

−1.2639

−5.1956

2.6679

0.5283

 

EF

0.86964

0.74753

1.01171

0.0704

−0.4552

−3.7208

2.8104

0.7845

 

CF

1.21469

1.04469

1.41237

0.0115

2.8249

0.2230

5.4268

0.0334

 

FA

1.09003

0.96258

1.23436

0.1740

−3.2001

−6.5586

0.1585

0.0618

 

NV

0.96687

0.81577

1.14595

0.4073

1.1136

−1.6169

3.8441

0.4237

 

PA

0.93405

0.81386

1.07199

0.3313

−3.3510

−6.7785

0.07654

0.0553

 

DY

0.90277

0.81740

0.99707

0.0436

−2.0557

−5.5569

1.4456

0.2495

 

SL

1.07573

0.95694

1.20927

0.2211

−0.8873

−4.4778

2.7033

0.6278

 

AP

0.94817

0.83543

1.07613

0.4095

−0.2265

−4.0527

3.5997

0.9075

 

CO

1.10100

0.95927

1.26368

0.1709

−0.8742

−4.4752

2.7267

0.6339

 

DI

0.84506

0.68652

1.04021

0.1121

−0.4002

−2.8583

2.0580

0.7494

 

FI

1.10633

0.94859

1.29029

0.1977

1.1951

−2.1001

4.4903

0.4768

Study 10

QL

0.94126

0.84476

1.05135

0.3912

−1.6241

−4.1816

1.8922

0.6124

(N = 241)

PF

1.00563

0.89071

1.13537

0.9276

2.8207

−1.9594

7.6007

0.2467

 

SF

1.00006

0.88002

1.13647

0.9993

4.0507

−0.9736

9.0750

0.1139

 

RF

1.28860

1.08877

1.50121

0.0084

13.0540

0.3211

25.7870

0.0445

 

EF

1.07878

0.93850

1.24003

0.2156

−2.8502

−7.4563

1.7558

0.2248

 

CF

1.14441

0.96173

1.29133

0.1494

5.6888

2.0359

9.3417

0.0023

 

FA

0.87034

0.77408

0.97858

0.0203

−2.0359

−6.1599

2.0882

0.3327

 

NV

1.10180

0.94137

1.28957

0.2269

0.7394

−2.9807

4.4594

0.6965

 

PA

0.81452

0.70091

0.94655

0.0075

−0.9057

−5.0882

3.2768

0.6708

 

DY

0.90282

0.82439

0.98871

0.0275

−6.8389

−11.3035

−2.3743

0.0027

 

SL

0.95514

0.85447

1.06767

0.4188

−0.3213

−5.8080

5.1655

0.9085

 

AP

1.08583

0.95447

1.23526

0.2104

2.2718

−2.6561

7.1997

0.3657

 

CO

0.86569

0.75412

0.99376

0.0405

−2.6788

−7.7010

2.3433

0.2953

 

DI

0.92437

0.77487

1.10271

0.3818

−3.4211

−6.4418

−0.4004

0.0265

 

FI

1.06566

0.82875

1.27688

0.3624

2.1354

−2.1141

6.5714

0.3252

Study 11

QL

0.95236

0.89286

1.09135

0.5552

−2.3613

−5.1511

2.9822

0.7334

(N = 422)

PF

0.93089

0.84991

1.01958

0.1229

−2.7725

−6.0805

0.5356

0.1003

 

SF

0.96121

0.87398

1.05714

0.4147

−3.3172

−6.9318

0.2974

0.0720

 

RF

1.08853

0.94125

1.23477

0.3324

−7.1287

−14.3603

0.1028

0.0533

 

EF

0.97549

0.88043

1.08081

0.6350

−4.8538

−8.0029

−1.7047

0.0026

 

CF

0.95256

0.85588

1.06016

0.3731

−0.6141

−3.1705

1.9422

0.6374

 

FA

1.10834

1.00731

1.21950

0.0349

3.3375

0.2209

6.4541

0.0359

 

NV

1.29384

1.15215

1.42351

<0.0001

5.4863

3.3832

7.5895

<.0001

 

PA

1.00011

0.89283

1.12028

0.9985

0.9084

−1.9043

3.7210

0.5264

 

DY

1.04262

0.96229

1.12965

0.3073

−1.6110

−5.1973

1.9754

0.3783

 

SL

1.02938

0.94433

1.12209

0.5102

−4.0055

−7.6480

−0.3629

0.0312

 

AP

1.04393

0.94403

1.15440

0.4019

4.6020

0.7884

8.4157

0.0181

 

CO

1.06104

0.95671

1.17675

0.1117

2.6096

−0.7817

6.0008

0.1314

 

DI

1.13002

0.95487

1.33729

0.1547

0.9181

−0.9858

2.8219

0.3442

 

FI

1.08816

0.92995

1.22408

0.4498

1.9684

−2.0451

5.6714

0.5022

Study 12

QL

0.96311

0.89103

1.04421

0.5034

−0.8545

−2.8925

1.19985

0.3214

(N = 724)

PF

1.00156

0.93624

1.07143

0.9639

−0.01443

−2.9124

2.8835

0.9922

 

SF

0.93058

0.87602

0.98855

0.0196

0.2535

−2.2932

2.8002

0.8453

 

RF

0.94478

0.89925

0.99755

0.0536

−6.3209

−11.8670

−0.7747

0.0255

 

EF

0.96366

0.90173

1.02985

0.2747

−4.0689

−6.3917

−1.7461

0.0006

 

CF

0.96082

0.89968

1.02612

0.1334

−1.2498

−3.1386

0.6391

0.1946

 

FA

0.99963

0.94240

1.06033

0.4901

−0.6901

−2.8719

1.4917

0.5352

 

NV

0.95818

0.88480

1.03765

0.2933

5.4863

3.3832

7.5895

<.0001

 

PA

0.96961

0.89701

1.04809

0.4370

0.9084

−1.9043

3.7210

0.5264

 

DY

1.03922

0.98989

1.09102

0.1210

3.9991

1.3876

6.6105

0.0027

 

SL

0.90162

0.84630

0.96055

0.0014

−15.5470

−18.0563

−13.0378

<.0001

 

AP

1.06787

0.99510

1.14597

0.0682

−2.2811

−4.6592

0.09705

0.0601

 

CO

1.16848

1.09944

1.24186

<.0001

2.6096

−0.7817

6.0008

0.1314

 

DI

1.05255

0.95709

1.15754

0.2909

−2.3379

−3.8004

−0.8754

0.0017

 

FI

1.01842

0.92606

1.12000

0.7064

1.6197

−2.5375

5.7768

0.4445

Study 14

QL

0.96684

0.91236

1.05549

0.2123

−1.3897

−3.2450

0.9808

0.0983

(N = 722)

PF

0.95134

0.89346

1.01298

0.1193

−1.7843

−3.6934

0.1248

0.0670

 

SF

1.01050

0.94612

1.07926

0.7557

0.8731

−1.1044

2.8507

0.3867

 

RF

0.92540

0.89452

0.99358

0.0412

−6.0800

−10.1493

−2.0107

0.0034

 

EF

0.89881

0.83696

0.96523

0.0034

−1.9677

−3.5103

−0.4251

0.0124

 

CF

1.04520

0.96868

1.12776

0.2543

−0.07931

−1.4565

1.2978

0.9101

 

FA

1.03864

0.97432

1.10720

0.2450

1.1338

−0.5280

2.7955

0.1811

 

NV

0.92440

0.84363

1.01291

0.0920

−1.7769

−3.0100

−0.5437

0.0048

 

PA

1.07278

0.98702

1.16600

0.0984

−0.5521

−2.2252

1.1210

0.5176

 

DY

1.02074

0.96756

1.07683

0.4520

1.3292

−0.5879

3.2464

0.1741

 

SL

0.96340

0.89862

1.03286

0.2937

−8.0830

−10.1365

−6.0295

<.0001

 

AP

0.98802

0.91442

1.06755

0.7602

−3.8491

−5.8767

−1.8216

0.0002

 

CO

1.07744

1.00746

1.15228

0.0295

10.9195

8.8799

12.9590

<.0001

 

DI

1.05388

0.95077

1.16817

0.3177

−1.6529

−2.8431

−0.4628

0.0065

 

FI

0.99605

0.89553

1.10785

0.9418

2.3020

−2.4081

7.0122

0.3375

  1. Key: 5 functional scales: PF physical function, RF role function, EF emotional function, CF cognitive function, and SF social functioning; 9 ‘symptom’ scales: FA fatigue, NV nausea & vomiting, PA pain, DY dyspnoea, IN insomnia, AL appetite loss, CO constipation, DI diarrhoea, FI financial problems; and QL a global health status score
  2. Positive differences on the functional scale are improvements in quality of life with the experimental arm
  3. Positive differences on the symptom scale suggests a worsening in quality of life with the experimental arm