Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion in the review.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of patients randomised to receive or not receive chemotherapy after radical cystectomy, and who had not been previously treated with chemotherapy, were eligible for inclusion. Any chemotherapy regimen was eligible. The patients in the included studies received three or four cycles of cisplatin or cisplatin in combination with doxorubicin (epirubicin), cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and/or vinblastine.
Participants included in the review
Studies of patients with muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma were eligible for inclusion. Where reported, the median age of the patients in the included studies ranged from 59 to 64 years and the proportion of women from 10 to 26%.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies reporting DFS and OS were eligible for inclusion in the review.
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.