What do systematic reviews say?

Non-specific immunotherapy (recombinant interleukin-2 or BCG cell wall preparation) plus standard therapy vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · BCG cell wall preparation + surgery (Bier 1981)
  BCG-CWP + surgery versus surgery alone: 3-year overall survival 10/10 vs 9/10; too few participants to calculate a hazard ratio (Bier 1981, 24 participants).
  1 study · 24 participants
  GRADE not reported
• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months · Recombinant interleukin-2 + surgery (De Stefani 2002)
  HR 0.52 [0.31, 0.87]
  1 study · 201 participants
  Very low

EGFR monoclonal antibody (cetuximab or nimotuzumab) plus standard therapy (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

EGFR monoclonal antibody (cetuximab or nimotuzumab) plus standard… probably leads to lower overall survival compared with standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) (moderate certainty).

• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  24 to 70 months
  HR 0.82 [0.69, 0.97]
  3 studies · 1421 participants
  Moderate

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (erlotinib, gefitinib or lapatinib) plus standard therapy (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) vs Standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy)

It is very uncertain whether tyrosine kinase inhibitor (erlotinib, gefitinib or lapatinib) plus… changes overall survival compared with standard therapy alone (radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) (very low certainty).

• Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: targeted therapy and immunotherapy 2015 · Cochrane All outcomes

  40 to 60 months
  HR 0.99 [0.62, 1.57]
  2 studies · 271 participants
  Very low

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 2): second‐line chemotherapy or targeted therapy agent(s) plus control intervention vs control intervention

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 2): second‐line… probably leads to lower overall survival compared with control intervention alone (moderate certainty).

• Palliative chemotherapy and targeted therapies for esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer 2017 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.71 [0.54, 0.94]
  4 studies · 769 participants
  Moderate

Interferon + chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone

Interferon + chemotherapy may leads to higher overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone (low certainty).

• Interferon after surgery for women with advanced (Stage II‐IV) epithelial ovarian cancer 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 1.14
  2 studies · 244 participants
  Low

Biological therapy vs placebo, best supportive care (BSC) or no treatment

Biological therapy leads to lower overall survival compared with placebo, best supportive care (BSC) or no treatment (high certainty).

• Salvage systemic therapy for advanced gastric and oesophago‐gastric junction adenocarcinoma 2020 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.55 [0.41, 0.73]
  3 studies · 781 participants
  High

TG4010 added to chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone

TG4010 added to chemotherapy showed no clear difference in overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone (low certainty).

• Therapeutic vaccines for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer 2024 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.83 [0.65, 1.05]
  2 studies · 370 participants
  Low

Anti‐cancer therapy vs best supportive care

Anti‐cancer therapy showed no clear difference in overall survival compared with best supportive care (moderate certainty).

• Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer 2018 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 1.08 [0.88, 1.33]
  4 studies · 298 participants
  Moderate

Hypofractionated radiotherapy vs daily conventionally fractionated radiotherapy

It is very uncertain whether hypofractionated radiotherapy changes overall survival compared with daily conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (very low certainty).

• External beam radiation dose escalation for high grade glioma 2020 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.95 [0.78, 1.17]
  5 studies · 943 participants
  Very low

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with radiotherapy vs Radiotherapy alone

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with radiotherapy showed no clear difference in overall survival Median compared with radiotherapy alone (low certainty).

• Hysterectomy with radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both for women with locally advanced cervical cancer 2022 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.89 [0.61, 1.29]
  1 study · 256 participants
  Low

Taxane‐containing chemotherapy vs any chemotherapy without taxane

Taxane‐containing chemotherapy leads to lower overall survival compared with any chemotherapy without taxane (high certainty).

• Taxanes for adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer 2019 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.87 [0.83, 0.92]
  27 studies · 39180 participants
  High

Hysterectomy (radical) with neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs chemoradiotherapy alone

Hysterectomy (radical) with neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed no clear difference in overall survival Median compared with chemoradiotherapy alone (moderate certainty).

• Hysterectomy with radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both for women with locally advanced cervical cancer 2022 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.94 [0.76, 1.16]
  2 studies · 1253 participants
  Moderate

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with chemoradiotherapy vs chemoradiotherapy alone

It is very uncertain whether hysterectomy (simple or radical) with chemoradiotherapy changes overall survival Median compared with chemoradiotherapy alone (very low certainty).

• Hysterectomy with radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both for women with locally advanced cervical cancer 2022 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  1 study · 102 participants
  Very low

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with chemoradiotherapy vs internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy) with chemoradiotherapy

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with chemoradiotherapy showed no clear difference in overall survival Median compared with internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy) with chemoradiotherapy (low certainty).

• Hysterectomy with radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both for women with locally advanced cervical cancer 2022 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.65 [0.35, 1.21]
  1 study · 211 participants
  Low

Chemotherapy with TKI vs chemotherapy alone

Chemotherapy with TKI showed no clear difference in overall survival (OS) compared with chemotherapy alone (moderate certainty).

• Angiogenesis inhibitors for the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer 2023 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.85 [0.68, 1.08]
  8 studies · 940 participants
  Moderate

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs Radiotherapy alone

Hysterectomy (simple or radical) with neoadjuvant chemotherapy probably leads to lower overall survival Median compared with radiotherapy alone (moderate certainty).

• Hysterectomy with radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both for women with locally advanced cervical cancer 2022 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.71 [0.55, 0.93]
  3 studies · 571 participants
  Moderate

Anti‐EGFR antibody plus chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone

Anti‐EGFR antibody plus chemotherapy showed no clear difference in overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone (moderate certainty).

• Epidermal growth factor receptor blockers for the treatment of ovarian cancer 2018 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.93 [0.74, 1.18]
  4 studies · 658 participants
  Moderate

First‐line chemotherapy vs BSC

• Chemotherapy versus best supportive care for extensive small cell lung cancer 2013 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  2 studies · 65 participants
  Very low

ATRA in addition to chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone

ATRA in addition to chemotherapy showed no clear difference in mortality (instead of overall survival) compared with chemotherapy only (moderate certainty).

• Effects of all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in addition to chemotherapy for adults with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)… 2018 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.94 [0.87, 1.02]
  7 studies · 2985 participants
  Moderate

FOLFOX + targeted therapy vs FOLFOX

It is very uncertain whether FOLFOX + targeted therapy changes overall survival compared with FOLFOX (very low certainty).

• Second‐line systemic therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer 2017 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.92 [0.82, 1.04]
  2 studies · 1432 participants
  Very low