Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Controlled trials were eligible for inclusion.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of monopreparations of oral CoQ10 given in addition to standard care were eligible for inclusion. The doses in the included studies ranged from 90 to 240 mg/day. With the exception of one study, in which patients were treated with lovastatin, standard care was anthracycline antibiotics in all studies.
Participants included in the review
Studies of patients with cancer who were receiving standard cancer care were eligible for inclusion. The included patients had been diagnosed with various types of cancer and were aged from 1 to 71 years.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The studies had to measure the clinical effects of CoQ10 supplementation, but details of the actual outcomes were not specified in the inclusion criteria. Studies measuring CoQ10 levels were excluded. The outcomes assessed were those which individual studies reported as primary outcomes: level of liver enzymes; myocardial function; cardiotoxicity (electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements of heart activity including QRS and QTc measurements); change in blood-pressure or heart rate; musculoskeletal toxicity; and changes in cholesterol.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.