Reproducibility of treatment methodologies detailed in contemporary clinical trial reports

Objective. To assess the reproducibility of treatment methodology detailed in contemporary published clinical trial reports.Design. Published articles focusing on clinical trials involving the administration of chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer were selected. The data required for the administration of chemotherapy was determined by an experienced oncology pharmacist.Outcome measures. The degree of potential impact of the omission of relevant detail was assessed. The overall reproducibility of the methodology was then classified as reproducible, reproducible with further literature evaluation, or not reproducible without communication with the authors.Results. Ninety-two articles were reviewed. Ninety percent of articles omitted data required to enable reproduction of the methodology. Of these, 5.4% omitted essential data which could only be obtained by communication with the authors. Over 57% of articles required further detailed literature evaluation before the methodology could be reproduced. A ...