SynthesisMedicine2018
The clinical value of using chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine as autophagy inhibitors in the treatment of cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 157 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antimalarials may reduce cancer risk in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.Annals of medicine · 2021Pooled it
- DNM1L depletion leads to accelerated heteroplasmy shifting of m.10191C allele through ATG7-dependent pathways.Mitochondrion · 2026Article
- Dual targeting of SLC6A14 and autophagy/macropinocytosis enhances therapeutic efficacy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.The Biochemical journal · 2026Article
- Review
- Autophagy Modulation in Cancer Therapy: Navigating the Dual Roles to Overcome Chemoresistance.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Targeting autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma chemoresistance: molecular mechanisms, therapeutic strategies, and emerging nanotherapeutic approaches.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Small-molecule autophagy modulators: Mechanisms, therapeutic potential, and development challenges in pathological settings.Fundamental research · 2026Review
- Autophagy-Circulating Tumor DNA Axis in Molecular Cancer Research: Emerging Mechanisms, Therapeutic Targeting, and Translational Opportunities.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- TGM2-TUFM promotes acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in EGFR-mutated NSCLC through p62-mediated lipophagy.Respiratory research · 2026Article
- Chemoresistance: The hidden barrier in cancer treatment.Cancer pathogenesis and therapy · 2026Review
- ATG4B is required for mTORC1-mediated anabolic activity and is associated with clinical outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer.FEBS open bio · 2026Article
- Construction of a novel AIE NIR fluorescence probe for monitoring lipid droplet dynamics during drug intervention and identification of disease models.Mikrochimica acta · 2026Article
- Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Vicious Cycle in the Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Interventions.International journal of biological sciences · 2026Review
- Repurposing Antimalarials for Oral Cancer: Selective Efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine on Gingival Squamous Cell Carcinoma.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- From "lysosomal addiction" to targeted therapies: exploiting novel windows in colorectal cancer.European journal of medical research · 2025Review
- Lipids, Tetraspanins, and Exosomes: Cell Factors inViruses · 2025Review
- Epilepsy and autophagy modulators: a therapeutic split.Autophagy · 2025Review
- Autophagy: The convergence point of aging and cancer.Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2025Review
- Targeting autophagy in platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer: randomized phase II trial of hydroxychloroquine with chemotherapy with biomarker correlation.Discover oncology · 2025Article
- Targeting Autophagy and the Anticipatory Unfolded Protein Response Leads to Increased Breast Cancer Cell Death.microPublication biology · 2025Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAutophagy is a mechanism which relies on lysosomes for clearance and recycling of abnormal proteins or organelles. Many studies have demonstrated that the deregulation of autophagy is associated with the development of various diseases including cancer. The use of autophagy inhibitors is an emerging trend in cancer treatment. However, the value of autophagy inhibitors remains under debate. Thus, a meta-analysis was performed, aiming to evaluate the clinical value of autophagy-inhibitor-based therapy.
methodsWe searched for clinical studies that evaluated autophagy-inhibitor-based therapy in cancer. We extracted data from these studies to evaluate the relative risk (RR) of overall response rate (ORR), 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate, and 1-year overall survival (OS) rate.
resultsSeven clinical trials were identified (n = 293). Treatments included 2 combinations of hydroxychloroquine and gemcitabine, 1 combination of hydroxychloroquine and doxorubicin, 1 combination of chloroquine and radiation, 2 combinations of chloroquine, temozolomide, and radiation, and 1 hydroxychloroquine monotherapy. Autophagy-inhibitor-based therapy showed higher ORR (RR: 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95-1.86, P = .009), PFS (RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.05-2.82, P = .000), OS (RR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.11-1.75, P = .000) values than the therapy without inhibiting autophagy.
conclusionThis meta-analysis showed that autophagy-inhibitor-based therapy has better treatment response compared to chemotherapy or radiation therapy without inhibiting autophagy, which may provide a new strategy for the treatment of cancers.
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Registered trials
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.