Table 3

Planned variables to be extracted in the scoping review

General study detailsStudy ID number, lead author, title, journal, year of publication, type of publication, information source
Study characteristicsStudy design, study duration, pilot/feasibility study (y/n), number of study arms, covariates (definition and measurement methods)
Participants

  1. Total number, setting, inclusion and exclusion criteria

  2. Participant characteristics at baseline: for each study, average age (years, mean and SD), sex (%), country, diagnosis (cancer type, stage), treatment(s), comorbidities

Interventions/exposures and comparators

  1. Total number of intervention/exposure (opioid(s) type, doses, opioid administration and surgery (preoperatively, intraoperatively, postoperatively), time of treatment), and comparison (No opioid use) groups and number of participants in each group

  2. For each intervention/exposure and comparison group: intervention/exposure/comparison, duration of intervention/exposure, who and how assessed and results of the assessment

OutcomesType of recurrence or metastasis; time elapsed since surgery; overall survival
Potential confoundersFor example, fluid therapy, and anaesthetic techniques
ResultsFor each quantitative outcome: sample size, number of missing participants, reasons for loss to follow-up, summary data for each group (a 2 × 2 table for dichotomous data, means and SDs for continuous data), the estimate of effect for the difference between groups (or change in baseline and final scores for single-arm studies), confidence intervals, and p value