Table 2 Non-Randomized Controlled Clinical VAE Studies on Breast and Gynaecological Cancer: Quality Assessment

Grossarth 2008c [49]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

+

+

(+)

+

+

-

200

5%

Prospective pair-matching

Grossarth 2008d [49]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

(-)

+

(+)

+

+

-

282

27%

Prospective pair-matching

Loewe-Mesch 2008 [64]

-

-

-

(-)

+

(-)

+

+

(+)

+

-

82

20%

Self-selected treatment allocation, no adjustment

Grossarth 2007d [50]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

(-)

+

(+)

+

+

-

198

24%

Prospective pair-matching

Grossarth 2007e [50]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

+

+

(+)

+

+

-

132

6%

Prospective pair-matching

Grossarth 2007f [51]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

+

+

(+)

+

+

-

212

4%

Prospective pair-matching

Grossarth 2007g [51]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

+

+

(+)

+

+

-

140

6%

Prospective pair-matching

Grossarth 2006b [52, 53]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

(-)

+

(+)

+

+

-

210

20%

Prospective pair-matching

Büssing 2005 [65]

(-)

-

-

(-)

+

+

(+)

(+)

(+)

+

+

105

7%

Comparison of two different hospitals. Pair-matching for analysis

Grossarth 2001c [59]

(+)

+

-

(-)

+

+

+

-

+

+

-

792

4%

Prospective pair-matching

Salzer 1987 [66]

(+)

-

-

(-)

+

-

+

-

-

(+)

-

155

not shown

Alternating treatment allocation

Fellmer 1966 [67]

-

-

-

(-)

+

-

+

+

-

-

-

924

15%

Treatment allocation by neutral attending physician

Majewski 1963 [68]

(+)

-

-

(-)

+

-

+

-

-

-

-

^III

not shown (15%)^IV

Alternating treatment allocation

Retrolective pharmaco-epidemiological cohort studies

Beuth 2008 [69]

-

(+)

-

-

(-)

-

(+)

(-)

(+)

(+)

+

681

^V

Multivariate adjustment only for one main outcome ("complaints")

Bock 2004 [70]

-

(+)

-

-

(-)

-

(+)

+

(+)

(+)

+

1442

^V

Multivariate adjustment

Schumacher 2003 [71, 72]

-

(+)

-

-

(-)

-

(+)

+

(+)

(+)

+

689

^V

Propensity score adjustment