Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of hyperthermia combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy (HRCT) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), so as to provide references for further clinical practice and research.
Methods The databases such as The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched on computer from the date of their establishment to May 1st of 2011, and other sources as supplied were also retrieved to collect all the relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on comparing HRCT with non-HRCT. The quality of the included trials was assessed according to the Cochrane Handbook 5.1 for Systematic Review and the features of this study as well. Meta-analyses were conducted by using RevMan 5.1 software.
Results A total of eight RCTs involving 546 patients were included. The results of meta-analyses showed that: a) Total effective rate: The total effective rate of HRCT was higher than other non-HRCT therapies, and there were significant differences in HRCT compared with radio-chemotherapy, hyperthermia plus chemotherapy, and pure chemotherapy, the OR and 95%CI were 2.05 (1.18, 3.56), 3.41 (1.12, 10.38), and 6.11 (1.20, 31.16), respectively; and b) Safety evaluation: The incidence rates of radiation pneumonitis, radiation esophagitis and granulocytopenia were all lower in the HRCT group than that in the radio-chemotherapy group, but the significant differences were only found in the incidence rate of granulocytopenia (OR=0.34 (0.19, 0.59).
Conclusion Compared with other therapies, HRCT tends to improve the clinical efficacy and safety for NSCLC, but this result needs to be proved by more clinical trials. HRCT is superior to the routine radio-chemotherapy in both efficacy and safety, but the relevant evidence for proving its long-term efficacy and safety is still required.
Citation: MI Denghai,LI Zheng,YANG Kehu,TIAN Jinhui,WANG Daoying. HRCT for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2011, 11(11): 1262-1267. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20110215 Copy