What do systematic reviews say?

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or targeted therapy plus best supportive care (BSC) vs BSC

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or… leads to lower overall survival compared with BSC (high certainty).

• Palliative chemotherapy and targeted therapies for esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer 2017 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.81 [0.71, 0.92]
  5 studies · 750 participants
  High

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or targeted therapy plus best supportive care (BSC) vs BSC

It is very uncertain whether summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or… changes progression‐free survival compared with BSC (very low certainty).

• Palliative chemotherapy and targeted therapies for esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer 2017 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  HR 0.58 [0.28, 1.18]
  2 studies · 540 participants
  Very low

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or targeted therapy plus best supportive care (BSC) vs BSC

It is very uncertain whether summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or… changes toxicity compared with BSC (very low certainty).

• Palliative chemotherapy and targeted therapies for esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer 2017 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  3 studies · 972 participants
  Very low

Summary of findings table (subcomparison 1): chemotherapy or targeted therapy plus best supportive care (BSC) vs BSC

• Palliative chemotherapy and targeted therapies for esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer 2017 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  4 studies · 1129 participants
  Very low