Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28641310›Full record

SynthesisBritish journal of cancer2017

Potentiating the effects of radiotherapy in rectal cancer: the role of aspirin, statins and metformin as adjuncts to therapy.

K J Gash, A C Chambers, D E Cotton, A C Williams, M G Thomas

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in British journal of cancer, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  16. Journal of oncology · 2020
    Article
  17. Article
  18. The anticancer potential of metformin on prostate cancer.Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2019
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

K J GashSchool of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS1 8TD, UK.
A C ChambersSchool of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS1 8TD, UK.
D E CottonDepartment of Coloproctology, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK.
A C WilliamsSchool of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS1 8TD, UK.
M G ThomasSchool of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS1 8TD, UK.
University of Bristol · GBUniversity Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

Cancer Research UK 11975Medical Research Council MR/N001494/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundComplete tumour response (pCR) to neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy for rectal cancer is associated with a reduction in local recurrence and improved disease-free and overall survival, but is achieved in only 20-30% of patients. Drug repurposing for anti-cancer treatments is gaining momentum, but the potential of such drugs as adjuncts, to increase tumour response to chemo-radiotherapy in rectal cancer, is only just beginning to be recognised.

methodsA systematic literature search was conducted and all studies investigating the use of drugs to enhance response to neo-adjuvant radiation in rectal cancer were included. 2137 studies were identified and following review 12 studies were extracted for full text review, 9 studies were included in the final analysis.

resultsThe use of statins or aspirin during neo-adjuvant therapy was associated with a significantly higher rate of tumour downstaging. Statins were identified as a significant predictor of pCR and aspirin users had a greater 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival. Metformin use was associated with a significantly higher overall and disease-free survival, in a subset of diabetic patients.

conclusionsAspirin, metformin and statins are associated with increased downstaging of rectal tumours and thus may have a role as adjuncts to neoadjuvant treatment, highlighting a clear need for prospective randomised controlled trials to determine their true impact on tumour response and overall survival.

Indexed as

AspirinChemotherapy, AdjuvantCombined Modality TherapyDisease-Free SurvivalFemaleHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsMaleMetforminNeoadjuvant TherapyNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalRadiation ToleranceRectal NeoplasmsRisk FactorsAspirinHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsMetformin

Identifiers

PMID28641310
PMCPMC5520519
OpenAlexW2687677872

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.