Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35891585›Full record

SynthesisThoracic cancer2022

Comparison of different neoadjuvant treatments for resectable locoregional esophageal cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Yongxing Bao, Zeliang Ma, Meng Yuan, Yang Wang, Yu Men, Zhouguang Hui

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic ReviewNetwork Meta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Thoracic cancer, 2022. 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
1.7field-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, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Assessing the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy on quality of life during treatment in esophageal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Yongxing BaoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-4178-4046
Zeliang MaDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Meng YuanDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Yang WangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Yu MenDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Zhouguang HuiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0002-7189-4692
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe best pattern of neoadjuvant therapy for resectable locoregional esophageal cancer has not been determined. Our study evaluated the efficacy and postoperative events of different treatments using the Bayesian network meta-analysis.

methodsWe systematically tracked randomized clinical trials from the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. The following treatments were included: neoadjuvant chemoradiation followed by surgery (NCRT + S), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery (NCT + S), neoadjuvant radiotherapy followed by surgery (NRT + S), and surgery alone (S). The Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tools were used to assess the quality of included trials. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival or disease-free survival (PFS/DFS) were assessed through hazard ratios (HR). Locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, postoperative mortality, and postoperative morbidity were assessed through odds ratios (OR). These outcomes were compared between different treatments through Bayesian network meta-analysis.

resultsTwenty trials with 4384 patients were included. Compared with S, only NCRT + S could significantly improve OS for patients with esophageal cancer (HR = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.88). NCRT + S and NCT + S significantly improved PFS/DFS compared with S (NCRT + S vs. S, HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.63-0.81; NCT + S vs. S, HR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.69-0.97). NCRT + S significantly reduced both locoregional recurrence (OR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.51-0.88) and distant metastasis (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.45-0.90) compared with S. There were no differences in postoperative morbidity between the four treatments. However, NCRT + S also increased postoperative mortality compared with S (OR = 1.77, 95% CI 1.09-2.82) and NCT + S (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.11-3.51).

conclusionNCRT + S is the most efficient neoadjuvant treatment for resectable locoregional esophageal cancer. However, NCRT + S increases the risk of postoperative mortality but not morbidity.

Indexed as

Esophageal NeoplasmsNeoadjuvant TherapyBayes TheoremHumansNeoplasm Recurrence, Localesophagus cancerneoadjuvant chemotherapyneoadjuvant radiotherapynetwork meta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID35891585
PMCPMC9436699
OpenAlexW4288039927

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.