Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34645484›Full record

SynthesisWorld journal of surgical oncology2021

The benefits and risks of pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line therapy in small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm meta-analysis of noncomparative clinical studies and randomized control trials.

Qiangyun Liu, Yixuan Zhang, Miaowen Liu, Ruoxin Xu, Fengming Yi, Yiping Wei, Shuqiang Zhu, Wenxiong Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in World journal of surgical oncology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 16% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. 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

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Qiangyun LiuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Yixuan ZhangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Miaowen LiuJiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Ruoxin XuJiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Fengming YiDepartment of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Yiping WeiDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Shuqiang ZhuDepartment of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China. zsq276446377@163.com.
Wenxiong ZhangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, China. zwx123dr@126.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2962-0847
Nanchang University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough pembrolizumab has shown clinical benefit in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), its actual efficacy in combination with a conventional chemotherapy drug has not been determined. We performed this study to discern the efficacy and risk of pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line therapy in SCLC patients.

methodsWe systematically searched the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases for relevant studies. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

resultsWe identified 2980 articles and included 6 studies (5 were noncomparative open-label studies and 1 was a randomized controlled trial [RCT]) involving 396 patients in our meta-analysis. The pooled median OS (mOS) was 9.6 months (95% CI, 8.0-11.2), and the pooled median PFS (mPFS) was 4.2 months (95% CI, 2.2-6.1). The 1-year overall survival rate (OSR-1y) and 6-month progression-free survival rate (PFSR-6m) were 45.1% (95% CI, 33-57.2%) and 41.6% (95% CI, 24.3-59%), respectively. The objective response rate (ORR) was 38.8% (95% CI, 11.9-65.67%), disease control rate (DCR) was 69.30% (95% CI, 51.6-87.0%), complete response (CR) was 2.20% (95% CI, 0.8-3.7%), partial response (PR) was 34.70% (95% CI, 7.8-61.5%), and stable disease (SD) was 20.90% (95% CI, 9.1-32.6%). The grade 3-4 adverse effect (AE) rate was 20.88% (95% CI, 1.22-54.85%). The most common AEs were neutropenia (90.16%), anemia (53.21%), dysphagia (41.96%), platelet count decrease (34.87%), and esophagitis (32.89%); severe AEs included neutropenia, respiratory failure, pneumonitis, acute coronary syndrome, and colitis/intestinal ischemia.

conclusionsThe combination of pembrolizumab with conventional chemotherapy is an effective therapeutic schedule with acceptable and manageable efficacy and toxicity in patients with SCLC. More high-quality and well-designed RCTs with large sample sizes are warranted to further validate our findings.

Indexed as

Antibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedLung NeoplasmsAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsHumansPrognosisRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk AssessmentAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedpembrolizumabChemotherapyMeta-analysisPembrolizumabSmall-cell lung cancerSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID34645484
PMCPMC8515717
OpenAlexW3207122910

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.