Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34758782›Full record

SynthesisBMC cancer2021

PD-1 inhibitors versus chemotherapy as second-line treatment for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

Xinxin Zhu, Qiyue Shanzhou, Danyang Li, Xuezhou Pang, Daiyuan Ma

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 18% 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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Immune checkpoint inhibitorsTherapeutic advances in gastroenterology · 2024
    Review
  10. Article
  11. 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 1 institution in 1 country.

Xinxin ZhuDepartment of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical college, No.1 Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China.
Qiyue ShanzhouDepartment of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical college, No.1 Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China.
Danyang LiDepartment of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical college, No.1 Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China.
Xuezhou PangDepartment of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical college, No.1 Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China.
Daiyuan MaDepartment of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical college, No.1 Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong, Sichuan, 637000, China. mdylx@163.com.
Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAim to establish the inhibitors of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) as second-line therapy for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

methodsPublished clinical trials in the PubMed, Medline, Embase databases on PD-1 inhibitors for the treatment of ESCC were searched, along with an additional search on abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) from inception to September 2021. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were synthesized using STATA.

resultsA total of 1970 patients (PD-1 inhibitors: 987; chemotherapy: 983) were enrolled in five randomized controlled trials. Compared with conventional chemotherapy, second-line PD-1 inhibitors significantly improved the OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66-0.81; P < 0.001) and ORR (relative risk [RR] = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.16-3.05; P = 0.01) of advanced ESCC patients, especially significantly prolonged the OS in the patients with positive programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) status (HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.53-0.77; P < 0.001); but did not better PFS (HR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.68-1.14; P = 0.330) and DCR (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.59-1.37; P = 0.603). Moreover, PD-1 inhibitors were associated with statistically lower incidences of grade 3-5 TRAEs.

conclusionSecond line PD-1 inhibitors significantly improved the OS and ORR of patients with advanced ESCC, especially the OS of those with positive PD-L1 expression, and did not result in significant improvement in PFS and DCR. Compared to chemotherapy, second-line PD-1 inhibitors had superior safety profiles for the treatment of advanced ESCC.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsB7-H1 AntigenEsophageal NeoplasmsEsophageal Squamous Cell CarcinomaHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsNeoplasm StagingProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorProgression-Free SurvivalRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicB7-H1 AntigenCD274 protein, humanImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsPDCD1 protein, humanProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorChemotherapyEfficacyEsophageal squamous cell carcinomameta-analysisPD-1Safety

Identifiers

PMID34758782
PMCPMC8579527
OpenAlexW3212193914

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.