Table 1 Study characteristics of the 62 included publications, by study type

Study characteristics

Cancer type

  Lung

8 (12.9)

6 (12.5)

2 (14.3)

  Breast

6 (9.7)

6 (12.5)

-

  Colon/colorectal/rectal

6 (9.7)

3 (6.3)

3 (21.4)

  Pancreatic

3 (4.8)

1 (2.1)

2 (14.3)

  Liver

2 (3.2)

2 (4.2)

-

  Gastric

3 (4.7)

3 (6.3)

-

  Head and neck

5 (8.1)

5 (10.4)

-

  Spinal

4 (6.5)

4 (8.3)

-

  Brain (inc. meningioma, glioblastoma)

5 (8.1)

4 (8.3)

1 (7.1)

  Oral (inc. nasopharyngeal carcinoma)

3 (4.8)

2 (4.2)

1 (7.1)

  Gynaecological (inc. cervical, ovarian, endometrial)

6 (9.7)

5 (10.4)

1 (7.1)

  Prostate/penile

5 (8.1)

4 (8.3)

1 (7.1)

  Skin (inc. melanoma)

2 (3.2)

1 (2.1)

1 (7.1)

  Other*

4 (6.5)

2 (4.2)

2 (14.3)

Target population

  Cancer patients

55 (88.7)

43 (89.6)

12 (85.7)

  General population

6 (9.7)

4 (8.3)

2 (14.3)

  Unclear

1 (1.6)

1 (2.1)

-

Outcome

  Binary

48 (77.4)

40 (83.3)

8 (57.1)

  Complication

11

11

-

  Survival

8

7

1

  Recurrence

7

4

3

  Cancer occurrence

6

4

2

  Metastases

4

3

1

  Treatment response

4

4

-

  Mortality

3

2

1

  Resection

3

3

-

  Screening

1

1

-

  Progression

1

1

-

  Continuous

1 (1.6)

-

1 (7.1)

  Length of stay

1

-

1

  Multinomial

2 (3.2)

2 (4.2)

-

  Test result

1

1

-

  Treatment response

1

1

-

  Time to event

11 (17.7)

6 (12.5)

5 (35.7)

  Overall survival

7

3

4

  Cancer specific survival

1

-

1

  Cause specific mortality

1

1

-

  Disease specific survival

1

1

-

  Progression free survival

1

1

-