Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are often used to provide an up-to-date summary of the current research knowledge on a specific healthcare topic. Usually there are more than two treatment options for a given condition, so pairwise meta-analysis cannot answer such research questions. An extended form of meta-analysis - called network meta-analysis - can therefore be used to compare all possible treatment options and to establish a treatment ranking.

This research project focuses on two systematic reviews with network meta-analysis. Aim of both reviews is to evaluate and compare clinical effectiveness and safety of 1) erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) with or without iron for the treatment of anaemia in cancer patients and 2) bone-modifying agents as supportive treatment to reduce bone loss in women with breast cancer. In both projects network meta-analysis is used to generate a ranking of all respective treatment options to improve decision making for clinicians.