An international team of musculoskeletal oncology experts have explored several important questions regarding the surgical treatment of patients through secondary analyses of data from the PARITY (Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens In Tumor surgerY) trial. The results of their investigative endeavors are available in a new supplemental publication, the JBJS Supplement on the Secondary Analyses from the PARITY Trial, which is freely available for a limited time on JBJS.org.
The PARITY trial is a multinational randomized controlled trial (RCT) including 604 patients who underwent lower-extremity endoprosthetic reconstruction for oncologic indications. Enrollment was across 48 centers and 12 countries. The primary analysis examined the impact of postoperative antibiotic duration on the rate of surgical site infection (SSI)1, a main complication seen in the operative treatment of these patients.
“Answering clinical questions about rare conditions requires an enormous international, collaborative effort. To date, the PARITY trial has generated the largest prospective data set in orthopaedic oncology,” notes principal investigator Michelle Ghert, MD, FRCSC, in the introductory editorial that accompanies the new supplement. “This robust data set provides a unique opportunity to explore and answer other relevant clinical questions in this patient population.”
JBJS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Marc Swiontkowski further reflects on investigative work in this area in his editorial The PARITY Trial: A Sea Change in Musculoskeletal Oncology Research. He notes that the successful development of networks for the conduct of multicenter international RCTs has been challenging in subspecialties outside of trauma and sports medicine, adding that “the field of musculoskeletal oncology has been elevated by the work by Ghert et al. with their successful completion of the PARITY trial1.” He emphasizes the best practice of determining planned secondary analyses a priori in order to avoid “data fishing expeditions” after data have been collected. In the new supplement, the PARITY researchers present the studies that address their 13 secondary questions.
Learn more about the PARITY Trial in a new episode of the OrthoJOE podcast: Focus on the PARITY Trial, with special guest Michelle Ghert, MD, FRCSC
To access the complete PARITY Trial supplement, go to JBJS. org: JBJS Supplement on the Secondary Analyses from the PARITY Trial
References
- Ghert M, Schneider P, Guyatt G, Thabane L, Vélez R, O’Shea T, Randall RL, Turcotte R, Wilson D, Wunder JS, Baptista AM, Cheng EY, Doung YC, Ferguson PC, Giglio V, Hayden J, Heels-Ansdell D, Khan SA, Sampath Kumar V, McKay P, Miller B, van de Sande M, Zumárraga JP, Bhandari M; Prophylactic Antibiotic Regimens in Tumor Surgery (PARITY) Investigators. Comparison of Prophylactic Intravenous Antibiotic Regimens After Endoprosthetic Reconstruction for Lower Extremity Bone Tumors: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Mar 1;8(3):345-53.