Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of Lanthanum Carbonate for hyperparathyroidism in dialysis patients. Methods We searched MEDLINE (1996 to April 2006); EMBASE (1996 to April 2006); Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 1, 2006); CBM disc; VIP and CNKI. We also checked the references of relevant studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing Lanthanum Carbonate with placebo and standard therapy were eligible for inclusion. Quality assessment and data extraction were done by two reviewers independently. Meta-analysis was conducted using The Cochrane Collaboration’s RevMan 4.2.8. Results Six RCTs were included. Lanthanum Carbonate was found to be more effective than placebo in treating hyperparathyroidism of dialysis patients (OR 4.74, 95%CI 2.66 to 8.45; Plt;0.0001) and the incidence of all drug-related adverse events was similar between Lanthanum Carbonate and placebo-treated group (OR 1.23, 95%CI 0.74 to 2.04; P=0.42). The meta-analysis also showed that the efficacy of treating hyperparathyroidism of dialysis patients was similar between Lanthanum Carbonate and conventional phosphate binders (OR 0.97, 95%CI 0.74 to 1.27; P=0.81) and the incidence of all drug-related adverse events was also similar (OR 1.29, 95%CI 0.62 to 2.47; P=0.49). However, serum calcium level was lower in the Lanthanum Carbonate group than in the conventional phosphate binders group. Conclusion Lanthanum Carbonate is effective and well-tolerated in treating hyperparathyroidism of dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease(ESRD). The incidence of hypercalcemia induced by Lanthanum Carbonate is significantly lower than that of the conventional phosphate binders. However, more large-scale, randomized, double-blinded trials are required to investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of Lanthanum Carbonate.