ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy and safety of radio-chemotherapy combined with thermotherapy for cervical cancer. MethodsLiterature about the efficacy and safety of radio-chemotherapy combined with thermotherapy for patients with cervical cancer at mid-term/advanced stage was retrieved from digital databases of The Cochrane Library (Issue 7, 2013), PubMed, EMbase, CBM, VIP, CNKI, and WanFang Data, and from their established dates to July, 2013. Data extraction and quality assessment of included studies were conducted by two reviewers independently. RevMan 5.2 software was then used to perform meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 9 randomized controlled trials involving 693 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with the radio-chemotherapy alone group, the radio-chemotherapy combined with thermotherapy group had significant increased 1-year survival rates (OR=3.05, 95%CI 1.70 to 6.68, P=0.005), 2-year survival rates (OR=2.29, 95%CI 1.19 to 4.38, P=0.01), and overall effective rates (OR=3.66, 95%CI 2.31 to 5.81, P < 0.000 01). The incidence of adverse reactions was no statistically significant between the two groups. ConclusionRadio-chemotherapy combined with thermotherapy improves long-term survival rates and short-term curative effects for patients with cervical cancer at mid-term/advanced stage. However, due to the limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more high quality studies with large sample size and long-term follow-up are still needed to verify the above conclusion.