Abstract
BackgroundMaintenance therapy with targeted agents for prolonging remission for ovarian cancer patients remains controversial. As a result, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness and safety of using maintenance therapy with targeted agents for the treatment of ovarian cancer.MethodsFrom inception to January 2015, we searched for randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) using the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, Clinicaltrials.gov and EBSCO. Eligible trials included RCTs that evaluated standard chemotherapy which was either followed or not followed by targeted maintenance in patients with ovarian cancer who had been previously receiving adjunctive treatments, such as cytoreductive surgery and standard chemotherapy. The outcome measures included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and incidence of adverse events.ResultsA total of 13 RCTs, which were published between 2006 and 2014, were found to be in accordance with our inclusion criteria. The primary meta-analysis indicated that both PFS and OS were statistically and significantly improved in the targeted maintenance therapy group as compared to the control group (PFS: HR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.75 to 0.95, p = 0.001; OS: HR = 0.91, 95%CI: 0.84 to 0.98, p = 0.02). When taking safety into consideration, the use of targeted agents was significantly correlated with increased risks of fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and hypertension. However, no significant differences were found in incidence rates of abdominal pain, constipation or joint pain.ConclusionsOur results indicate that targeted maintenance therapy clearly improves the survival of ovarian cancer patients but may also increase the incidence of adverse events. Additional randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter investigations will be required on a larger cohort of patients to verify our findings.
Highlights
Ovarian carcinoma is the eighth leading cause of cancer morbidity among women, the second leading cause of malignancy and the seventh leading cause of cancer-related deaths according to reports published by the WHO
The primary meta-analysis indicated that both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were statistically and significantly improved in the targeted maintenance therapy group as compared to the control group (PFS: hazard ratios (HRs) = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.75 to 0.95, p = 0.001; OS: HR = 0.91, 95%CI: 0.84 to 0.98, p = 0.02)
Our results indicate that targeted maintenance therapy clearly improves the survival of ovarian cancer patients but may increase the incidence of adverse events
Summary
Ovarian carcinoma is the eighth leading cause of cancer morbidity among women, the second leading cause of malignancy and the seventh leading cause of cancer-related deaths according to reports published by the WHO. Adjuvant chemotherapy following cytoreductive surgery with platinum-based treatment regimens leads to a higher response rate (approximately 75%) in ovarian carcinoma patients [2]; the rates of recurrence and mortality are currently still high (5-year survival rate: 20%-40%) [3]. There is some evidence from a meta-analysis of 4 trials that the addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy may reduce the risk of disease progression, in women with advanced ovarian cancer; it does not improve overall survival (OS) [10]. Targeted maintenance therapy is defined as maintenance administration of single-agent antibody or small-molecule inhibitor after the completion of chemotherapy. Maintenance therapy with targeted agents for prolonging remission for ovarian cancer patients remains controversial. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness and safety of using maintenance therapy with targeted agents for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
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