Yes! Case reports and Case series can be included in the systematic review of rare diseases.
Hi!
This is difficult to answer as I do not have measure of effect that the asking researcher wanted to pool using meta analysis. Furthermore, case report and case series studies do not give such measures of effect.
Thank you
It depends on the aim of the study and if you will further do a meta-analysis or it is a systematic review alone. the concept is that case reports and case series may be considered cohorts with no control group. For the meta-analysis, it may be a little confusing as in randomized trials, we control many co-founders, unlike cohort we control less of these co-founders, and the least are case reports and case series.
Generally; you can include them if the disease you are dealing with has fewer studies.
Hi Esraa,
adding case reports, in absence of controlled trials , is good, as long as you acknowledge the fact the it has several limitations.
if you have data from placebo controlled studies in the same indication, than better you do not use case studies. As case studies are usually considered as weak evidence. Rayer, clinician and patients are biased in this situation.
Writing a review requires an extensive and rigorous search to ensure you really have collected and read all the evidence, and what you did needs describing in the review paper. Then if you find there are too few controlled clinical trials readers will see that you have included anecdotes for a good reason, provided of course that they do contribute to the case you are making. That case should be clear, probably stated right at the start of your paper or even in the title as in my own review of zolpidem in brain damage when the title included: "... a justification of further clinical trials."
Sometimes the trials you cite don't have to be placebo-controlled and then you need to explain why they are included. An example is a review of analgesics where it is not ethical to give placebos to patients in pain, so control group patients are often pain-free, so they are not a true comparison.
That depends on your inclusion criteria. If you are doing systematic review of randomised trials (RCTs) you can't include case reports. But if you don't have enough RCTs, you can include other types of research papers. But enough number of RCTs is relative thing because even empty systematic review can be published and give us some information.
Other problem is that case report rear have enough information for good systematic review, especially for meta analysis.That depends on your inclusion criteria. If you are doing systematic review of randomised trials (RCTs) you can't include case reports. But if you don't have enough RCTs, you can include other types of research papers. But enough number of RCTs is relative thing because even empty systematic review can be published and give us some information.
Other problem is that case report rarely have enough information for good systematic review, especially for meta analysis.
Thank you Esraa Taher for raising such important issue! Case reports and case series should be used in review of rare diseases. This may create more awareness in recording
and studying of rare diseases in a consolidated manner!
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