Appendix 1. MEDLINE search strategy

Medline RCT search filter:

1        randomized controlled trial.pt.
2        controlled clinical trial.pt.
3        randomized.ab.
4        placebo.ab.
5        drug therapy.fs.
6        randomly.ab.
7        trial.ab.
8        groups.ab.
9        1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8
10    animals.sh. not (humans.sh. and animals.sh.)
11    9 not 10

 Medline search for patient population:

12    Ovar$
13    Cancer$ or carcinoma$ or neoplasm$ or tumor$ or tumour$ or malignan$
14    12 and 13
15    Exp ovarian neoplasms/
16    14 or 15

 Medline search for intervention:

17    Epidermal growth factor receptor.mp.
18    (EGFR adj5 inhibit$).mp.
19    exp Antibodies, Monoclonal/
20    monoclonal antibodies.mp.
21    Trastuzumab or herceptin
22    Cetuximab or IMC‐C225 or erbitux
23    EMD 72000 or matuzumab
24    Panitumumab or ABX‐EGF or vectibix
25    Pertuzumab or rhumab 2C4 or omnitarg
26    exp Protein‐Tyrosine Kinases/
27    (tyrosine kinase adj5 inhibit$).mp.
28    gefitinib or ZD1839 or iressa
29    erlotinib or OSI‐774 or tarceva
30    lapatinib or gw 572016 or tykerb
31    canertinib or CI‐1033
32    EKB‐569
33    PKI‐166
34    BMS 599626
35    Vandetanib or rinn or zactima or ZD6474
36    17 or 18 or 19 or 20 or 21 or 22 or 23 or 24 or 25 or 26 or 27 or 28 or 29 or 30 or 31 or 32 or 33 or 34 or 35
37    11 and 16 and 36

Key

pt = publication type
ab = abstract
fs = floating sub‐heading
mp = title, original title, abstract, name of substance word, subject heading word
sh = medical subject heading