Cochrane · systematic review · CD008831
Probiotics for the prevention or treatment of chemotherapy‐ or radiotherapy‐related diarrhoea in people with cancer
Wei, D, Heus, P, van de Wetering, FT, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018 · Cochrane Library
Gynaecological, Neuro-oncology and Orphan CancerAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
31
current version
GRADE rated
26
No studies
5
Included studies
NR
No studies 5 · 16.1%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 5 · 16.1%Low 15 · 48.4%Moderate 6 · 19.4%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Probiotics compared with placebo for prevention of diarrhoea in participants with cancer treated with radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy)
Population: participants with cancer treated with radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Any diarrhoea Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 771 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Quality of life Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 72 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Diarrhoea grade 2 or higher Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.75 [0.55, 1.03] | 4 studies · 420 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Diarrhoea grade 3 or higher Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 793 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Diarrhoea grade 4 Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 226 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Time to rescue medication Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 482 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Requiring rescue medication for diarrhoea Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.5 [0.15, 1.66] | 3 studies · 194 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Adverse events Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 902 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Mortality Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 902 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Probiotics compared with placebo for prevention of diarrhoea in participants with cancer treated with chemotherapy
Population: participants with cancer treated with chemotherapy
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Any diarrhoea Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.59 [0.36, 0.96] | 2 studies · 106 participants | Low |
Quality of life ‐ not measured Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Diarrhoea grade 2 or higher Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.67 [0.22, 2.05] | 1 study · 46 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Diarrhoea grade 3 or higher Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.11 [0.01, 1.95] | 1 study · 46 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Diarrhoea grade 4 Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.33 [0.01, 7.78] | 1 study · 46 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Time to rescue medication ‐ not measured Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Requiring rescue medication for diarrhoea Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 46 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Adverse events Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 106 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Mortality Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 128 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Probiotics compared with other active treatment for prevention of diarrhoea in participants with cancer treated with radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy)
Population: participants with cancer treated with radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Any diarrhoea Probiotics vs other active treatment | RR 0.3 [0.11, 0.81] | 1 study · 21 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Quality of life ‐ not measured Probiotics vs other active treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Severity of diarrhoea: grade 3 or higher Probiotics vs other active treatment | OR 0.38 [0.16, 0.89] | 1 study · 148 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Time to rescue medication ‐ not measured Probiotics vs other active treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Requiring rescue medication for diarrhoea Probiotics vs other active treatment | RR 0.44 [0.22, 0.86] | 2 studies · 63 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events Probiotics vs other active treatment | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 211 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Mortality Probiotics vs other active treatment | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 211 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Probiotics compared with placebo for treatment of diarrhoea due to radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy) in participants with cancer
Population: participants with cancer treated with radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Reduction in severity of diarrhoea Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 205 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Quality of life ‐ not measured Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Time to rescue medication (in hours) Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 205 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Requiring rescue medication for diarrhoea Probiotics vs placebo | RR 0.74 [0.53, 1.03] | 1 study · 205 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Adverse events Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 205 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Mortality Probiotics vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 205 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |