Cost and effectiveness of image-guided radiotherapy for non-operated localized lung cancer: a population-based propensity score-matched analysis

Use of the 40-gene Expression Profile (40-GEP) Test in Medicare-eligible Patients Diagnosed with Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) to Guide Adjuvant Radiation Therapy (ART) Decisions Leads to a Significant Reduction in Healthcare Costs

Objective

Adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) is often recommended for high-risk cSCC patients but carries significant costs and risks. This study aims to determine if utilizing the 40-GEP test to guide ART can reduce healthcare costs in cSCC management.

Methods

Medical claims data with new diagnoses of cSCC for the 12 months ending June 2022 in the Medicare (≥65 years) population (source: IQVIA claims database) were obtained and normalized to the general population for missingness. CPT codes associated with radiation therapy within one-year post diagnosis were used to establish adjuvant RT use (defined as 'ART'). Average weighted direct costs for four major ART modalities were calculated from published studies and (IQVIA). Sensitivity analysis was used to assess the financial impact of ART treatment using varying distributions of 40-GEP Class results.

Results

Normalized medical claims data identified 22,917 Medicare-eligible cSCC patients who received ART within the United States. The weighted average direct cost for ART, which includes the four most used CPT code-defined modalities (IGRT, IMRT, IMPT, and XRT), was $60,693 per patient, amounting to an annual projected ART cost of $1.4 billion. Using the distribution of 40-GEP results from published studies, utilization of a 40-GEP test result to avoid ART in these patients could save up to $972 million in Medicare-eligible population. Sensitivity analysis shows, depending upon the distribution of the 40-GEP results, that for every 10% of Class 2A test results omitting ART, an extra $38-66 million in annual savings is expected.

Limitations

Potential limitations include a need for more comprehensive patient information and the cost of ART-related complications.

Conclusion

Utilizing the 40-GEP test results to guide ART decision-making would result in material savings to Medicare.

Effectiveness of image-guided radiotherapy for locally advanced lung cancer patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy

Background

Image‐guided radiotherapy (IGRT) is an advanced radiotherapy technique to improve the precision and accuracy of treatment delivery. A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) for prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy via either IGRT or routine care reported statistically significantly worse overall survival (OS) for those patients treated with IGRT. This raised the concern regarding the effectiveness of IGRT in definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (dCCRT) for locally advanced lung cancer (LALC).

Methods

Eligible LALC patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2016 were identified via the Taiwan Cancer Registry. We used propensity score (PS) weighting to balance observable potential confounders between groups. The hazard ratio (HR) of death and other outcomes were compared between IGRT and non‐IGRT. We also evaluated OS in various subgroups.

Results

Our primary analysis consisted of 797 patients in whom covariates were well balanced after PS weighing. The HR for death when IGRT was compared with non‐IGRT was 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.79–1.15, P = 0.65). There were also no significant differences for most of the other outcomes or subgroup analyses.

Conclusions

In this updated nonrandomized study, we found that OS of LALC patients treated with dCCRT was not statistically different between those treated with IGRT versus non‐IGRT. The results should be interpreted with caution given the nonrandomized design. Studies regarding toxicity, local control, or designed as RCT are needed to clarify the role of IGRT.

Key points

Significant findings of the study

The OS of LALC patients treated with dCCRT was not statistically different between those treated with IGRT versus those without IGRT, although the observed HR for death was less than unity (ie, in favor of IGRT).

What this study adds

In this updated nonrandomized study using real world data with additional potential confounders, our study provided a reasonable tentative evidence in the lack of RCT as suggested in the literature.

Economic Evaluations Informed Exclusively by Real World Data: A Systematic Review

Economic evaluations using Real World Data (RWD) has been increasing in the very recent years, however, this source of information has several advantages and limitations. The aim of this review was to assess the quality of full economic evaluations (EE) developed using RWD. A systematic review was carried out through articles from the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. Included were studies that employed RWD for both costs and effectiveness. Methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Of the 14,011 studies identified, 93 were included. Roughly half of the studies were carried out in a hospital setting. The most frequently assessed illnesses were neoplasms while the most evaluated interventions were pharmacological. The main source of costs and effects of RWD were information systems. The most frequent clinical outcome was survival. Some 47% of studies met at least 80% of CHEERS criteria. Studies were conducted with samples of 100-1000 patients or more, were randomized, and those that reported bias controls were those that fulfilled most CHEERS criteria. In conclusion, fewer than half the studies met 80% of the CHEERS checklist criteria.

Kangai Injection Combined with Platinum-based Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Stage III/IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of 35 Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective: In an effort to inform evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice, we performed a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of Kangai injection (KAI) plus platinum-based chemotherapy for stage III/IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing KAI plus platinum-based chemotherapy (experimental group) to chemotherapy alone (control group) were electronically retrieved from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM) Database, Wanfang Database, and the VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals. RCTs published from the date of inception to July 5, 2018, were included. All trials were assessed for methodological quality in accordance with the Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.3 Software and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) 2.0.

Results: The final analysis included 35 RCTs involving 2,618 patients. Our meta-analysis revealed that KAI combined with platinum-based chemotherapy was associated with significantly greater objective response rate (ORR) (RR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.25-1.49, P<0.00001) and disease control rate (DCR) (RR=1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.18, P<0.00001), improvements in quality of life (QOL) (RR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.59-1.93, P<0.00001), and decreases in the incidence of gastrointestinal reactions (RR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.54-0.77, P<0.00001), leukocytopenia (RR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.46-0.63, P<0.00001) and thrombocytopenia (RR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.36-0.76, P=0.0007) when compared with chemotherapy alone. In addition, combined treatment was associated with greater regulation of tumor immune function, as indicated by increases in the proportion of NK, CD₃⁺ , and CD₄⁺ cells (MD=2.27, 95% CI: 1.18-3.36, P<0.0001; MD=12.86, 95% CI: 11.64-14.08, P<0.00001; and MD=5.48, 95% CI: 2.68-8.28, P=0.0001) and decreases in the percentage of CD₈⁺ cells (MD= -2.37, 95% CI from -4.51 to -0.23, P=0.03).

Conclusions: From the available evidence, our results indicate that KAI plus platinum-based chemotherapy could be more effective in improving clinical efficacy, decreasing the incidence of adverse reactions and regulating the tumor immune function than chemotherapy alone in the treatment of stage III/IV NSCLC. Nevertheless, considering the limitations of the included studies, rigorous designed, high-quality, multicenter clinical trials are still need to further confirm the results.

Comparative effectiveness of concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of clinical stage IIIb lung adenocarcinoma patients with mutant EGFR

BACKGROUND

The standard of care for fit locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). However, in a subset of patients with lung adenocarcinoma with mutant EGFR (LA-mEGFR), the role of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is not clear. We compared CCRT versus TKIs for the treatment of stage IIIb LA-mEGFR in a Taiwanese population.

METHODS

We identified patients from the Taiwan Cancer Registry with good performance status at clinical stage IIIb LA-mEGFR, diagnosed from June 2011 to December 2015 and treated with either TKIs or CCRT. Clinical covariables and survival status were also collected. The Cox regression method was used in the primary analyses and several propensity score methods and alternative study cohort definitions were used in additional analyses.

RESULTS

We compared the data of 177 TKI and 22 CCRT patients and found no statistically significant difference in overall (adjusted hazard ratio of death 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.34-1.47) or lung cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.31-1.35). The results of most additional analyses were insignificant.

CONCLUSION

In this population-based study from Taiwan with limited case numbers, no statistical difference in the survival outcomes of patients with clinical stage IIIb LA-mEGFR treated with either EGFR-TKIs or CCRT was determined. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify our findings.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Aidi Injection Plus Docetaxel-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of 36 Randomized Controlled Trials

Background. Aidi injection is an important adjuvant anticancer drug commonly used in China. Can Aidi injection plus docetaxel-based chemotherapy improve clinical efficacy with good safety in NSCLC? To further reveal its clinical effectiveness, we systematically evaluated all the related studies. Method. We collected all the studies about Aidi injection plus docetaxel-based chemotherapy for NSCLC on Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, CBM, CENTRAL, Chi-CTR, and US-clinical trials. We evaluated their methodological bias risk according to the Cochrane evaluation handbook (5.1.0), extracted data following the predesigned data extraction form according to the PICO principle, and synthesized the data using meta-analysis. Results. We included 36 RCTs with 2837 patients, and most studies had unclear bias risk. The merged RR values and their 95% CI of meta-analysis for ORR, DCR, and QOL were as follows: 1.30 (1.19, 1.42), 1.17, (1.12, 1.22), and 1.73 (1.54, 1.95). The merged RR values for neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, gastrointestinal toxicity, hepatorenal dysfunctions, and alopecia were as follows: 0.70 (0.61, 0.79), 0.63 (0.53, 0.75), 0.60 (0.48, 0.75), 0.76 (0.65, 0.89), 0.56 (0.36, 0.88), and 0.58 (0.36, 0.93). Compared with chemotherapy alone, all differences were statistically significant. Subgroup analysis showed that, with 100 ml, 80-100 ml, and 50 ml, Aidi injection could increase the tumor response and Aidi injection plus DP, DC, and DO could increase the tumor response. Meta-analysis results had good stability. Conclusions. Aidi injection plus docetaxel-based chemotherapy, especially plus DP, DC, and DO, may significantly improve the clinical efficacy and QOL in NSCLC. It may also have low risk of hematotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, and low risk of inducing hepatorenal dysfunctions. Aidi injection may have attenuation and synergistic efficacy to docetaxel chemotherapy. All these need to have new evidence to be proved.

Comparison of intensity-modulated radiotherapy vs 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for patients with non-metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma receiving definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy: A population-based propensity-score-matched analysis

Whether the survival outcome of patients with non-metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (NM-ESCC) receiving definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is better with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) has been debated in the literature. We designed this population-based propensity-score (PS)-matched analysis to address this question. We identified eligible patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2015 from the Taiwan Cancer Registry and constructed a PS-matched cohort (1:1 for IMRT vs 3DCRT) to balance observable potential confounders. We compared the hazard ratio (HR) of death between IMRT and 3DCRT during the entire follow-up period. We also evaluated freedom from local regional recurrence (FFLRR) and esophageal cancer-specific survival (ECSS). Sensitivity analyses (SA) were performed to examine the robustness of our findings. Our study population constituted 558 patients who were well balanced with regard to the measured covariables. The HR of death with IMRT compared to 3DCRT was 0.43 (95% confidence interval 0.35-0.52, P < .001). The results remained significant for FFLRR and ECSS. In SA, our results remained significant when additional covariables were taken into consideration. The survival outcome of patients with NM-ESCC receiving CCRT might be better with IMRT vs 3DCRT. These study results should be interpreted with caution given some possible covariates lacking in the registry. Further studies are needed to clarify this issue.

Effectiveness of tomotherapy vs linear accelerator image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy for localized pharyngeal cancer treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy: a Taiwanese population-based propensity score-matched analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study used a population-based propensity score (PS)-matched analysis to compare the effectiveness of tomotherapy-based image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (referred to as T-IMRT) with that of linear accelerator based (referred to as L-IMRT) for clinically localized pharyngeal cancer (LPC, divided into nasopharyngeal cancer and non-nasopharyngeal cancer) with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

METHODS

Eligible LPC patients diagnosed between 2007 and 2014 were identified among all citizens in Taiwan from the Health and Welfare Data Science Center database. A PS-matched sample based on the PS estimated from the covariables of interest was constructed to compare the effectiveness of T-IMRT with L-IMRT. In the primary analysis, overall survival (OS) was compared for assessment of effectiveness. We also evaluated freedom from local regional recurrence and pharyngeal cancer-specific survival and performed supplementary analyses.

RESULTS

The study population included 960 patients equally divided into two groups. OS did not differ significantly between the T-IMRT and L-IMRT groups (hazard ratio for death: 0.82, p = 0.15, 5-year OS rate: 79 and 74% for T-IMRT and L-IMRT, respectively), and there were no significant differences in the other endpoints or supplementary analyses.

CONCLUSION

For LPC patients treated with definitive CCRT, we found no significant difference in disease control or survival between the T-IMRT and L-IMRT groups. However, further studies, especially randomized trials or studies focusing on other dimensions, such as quality of life, are needed. Advances in knowledge: We provide the first population-based study, as well as the largest study, on the clinical effectiveness of T-IMRT compared with L-IMRT in conjunction with CCRT in LPC patients.

Has aidi injection the attenuation and synergistic efficacy to gemcitabine and cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer? A meta-analysis of 36 randomized controlled trials

Gemcitabine and cisplatin is the first line chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer with high toxicity. Aidi injection is a cantharidin and astragalu-based Chinese herbs injection in China. Has Aidi injection attenuation and synergistic efficacy to GP in NSCLC? There is lack of strong evidence to prove it. To further reveal it, we systematically evaluated all related studies. We collected all studies about Aidi injection plus GP for NSCLC in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Database, CBM, CCRCT, Chi-CTR, and US-clinical trials (established to June 2015). We evaluated their quality according to the Cochrane evaluation handbook of randomized controlled trials (5.1.0), extracted data following the PICO principles and synthesized the data by Meta analysis. Thirty six RCTs with 2582 NSCLC patients were included, with general methodological quality in most trials. The RR values and their 95% CI of Meta-analysis for ORR, DCR and QOL were as following: 1.28 (1.17, 1.39), 1.11(1.07, 1.15) and 1.81 (1.61, 2.03). The merged RD values and their 95% CI of Meta-analysis for myelosuppression, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, neurotoxicity and nausea and vomiting were as following: -0.23(-0.29, -0.17), -0.17(-0.22, -0.11), -0.13(-0.18, -0.08), -0.06(-0.17, 0.05) and -0.15(-0.21, -0.10). To compare with GP alone, all differences were statistically significant. The available evidence indicates that Aidi injection plus GP can significantly increase the clinical efficacy and improve the QOL of patients with NSCLC. Aidi injection can reduce myelosuppression, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia neurotoxicity and nausea/vomiting. These indirectly reveal that Aidi injection has the attenuation and synergistic efficacy to GP chemotherapy in NSCLC.

Comparative effectiveness of image-guided radiotherapy for non-operated localized esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy: A population-based propensity score matched analysis

Background

Although concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) coupled with image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) is associated with a theoretical benefit in non-operated localized esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (NOL-ESCC) patients, there is currently no clinical evidence to support this.

Results

The study population in the primary analysis comprised 866 patients who were well balanced in terms of their co-variables. The HR for mortality when group A was compared with group B was 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.7–0.95). SA revealed that the result was moderately sensitive.

Materials and Methods

Eligible patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2013 were identified in the Taiwan Cancer Registry. A propensity score-matched cohort was constructed [1:1 in groups A (with IGRT) and B (without IGRT)] to balance any observable potential confounders. The hazard ratio (HR) for mortality was compared between groups A and B during the follow-up period. Sensitivity analyses (SA) were performed to evaluate the robustness of the findings regarding the selection of confounders and a potential unobserved confounder.

Conclusions

The current results provide the first clinical evidence that CCRT coupled with IGRT is associated with better overall survival when compared with CCRT without IGRT in NOL-ESCC patients. However, this study should be interpreted with caution given its non-randomized nature and the moderate sensitivity of the data. Further studies are needed to clarify this finding.

A Population-based Study of the Effectiveness of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Versus Conventional Fractionated Radiotherapy for Clinical Stage I Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Background

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a promising option for non-operated early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to conventional fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT). However, results from conclusive randomized controlled trials are not yet available. The aim of our study was to explore the effectiveness of SABR vs. CFRT for non-operated early-stage NSCLC.

Patients and methods

We used a comprehensive population-based database to identify clinical stage I non-operated NSCLC patients in Taiwan diagnosed from 2007 to 2013 who were treated with either SABR or CFRT. We used inverse probability weighting and the propensity score as the primary form of analysis to address the nonrandomization of treatment. In the supplementary analyses, we constructed subgroups based on propensity score matching to compare survival between patients treated with SABR vs. CFRT.

Results

We identified 238 patients in our primary analysis. A good balance of covariates was achieved using the propensity score weighting. Overall survival (OS) was not significantly different between those treated with SABR vs. CFRT (SABR vs. CFRT: probability weighting adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.586, 95% confidence interval 0.264-1.101, p = 0.102). However, SABR was significantly favored in supplementary analyses.

Conclusions

In this population-based propensity-score adjusted analysis, we found that OS was not significantly different between those treated with SABR vs. CFRT in the primary analysis, although significance was observed in the supplementary analyses. Our results should be interpreted with caution given the database (i.e., nonrandomized) approach used in our study. Overall, further studies are required to explore these issues.

Shenfu Injection Adjunct with Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

Platinum-based chemotherapy is one of the standard treatments for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while its high toxicity and limited clinical effects raise big concerns. Shenfu injection (SFI) has been commonly used as an adjutant chemotherapy drug for NSCLC in China. We ascertained the beneficial and adverse effects of SFI in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC by using meta-analysis methods. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving advanced NSCLC treatment with SFI plus platinum-based chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone were searched on 6 medical databases up to February 2017. Cochrane handbook 5.1.0 was applied to assess the quality of included trials and RevMan 5.3 software was employed for data analysis. 23 RCTs including 1574 patients met our inclusion criteria. We evaluated the following outcome measures: objective tumor response (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), Karnofsky performance score (KPS), adverse effects, and indicators of cellular immune function. The meta-analysis indicated that SFI plus platinum-based chemotherapy may benefit the patients with NSCLC on attenuated synergies of chemotherapy. These findings need to be confirmed by further rigorously designed high-quality and large-scale RCTs.

Can Aidi injection restore cellular immunity and improve clinical efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy? A meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials following the PRISMA guidelines

BACKGROUND

Aidi injection is an adjuvant chemotherapy drug commonly used in China. Can Aidi injection restore the cellular immunity and improve the clinical efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy? There is a lack of strong evidence to prove it. To further reveal it, we systematically evaluated all related studies. We collected all studies about the clinical efficacy and cellular immunity of Aidi injection plus platinum-based chemotherapy for NSCLC in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, China national knowledge infrastructure database (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Full-Text Database (VIP), Wanfang, China biological medicine database (CBM) (established to June 2015), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCRCT) (June 2015), Chinese clinical trial registry, and US-clinical trials (June 2015). We evaluated their quality according to the Cochrane evaluation handbook of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (5.1.0), extracted data following the patient intervention control group outcomes principles and synthesized the data by meta-analysis. Seventeen (RCTs) with 1390 NSCLC patients were included, with general methodological quality in most trials. The merged relative risk (RR) values and their 95% CI of meta-analysis for objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were as follows: 1.26 (1.12, 1.42) and 1.11(1.04, 1.17). The merged standardized mean difference (SMD) values and their 95% CI of meta-analysis for the percentage of CD3T cells, CD4T cells, CD8T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and CD4/CD8 T cell ratio were as follows: 1.41, (0.89, 1.92), 1.59, (1.07, 2.11), 0.85, (0.38, 1.33), 1.64 (0.89, 2.39) and 0.91, (0.58, 1.24). Compared with platinum-based chemotherapy alone, all differences were statistically significant. These results might be overestimated or underestimated.

CONCLUSIONS

Aidi injection plus platinum-based chemotherapy can improve the clinical efficacy of patients with NSCLC. Aidi injection could significantly restore the cellular immunity damaged by platinum-based chemotherapy. It may be an important tumor immune modulator and protector for patients with NSCLC treated with chemotherapy.

Can Aidi injection alleviate the toxicity and improve the clinical efficacy of radiotherapy in lung cancer?: A meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials following the PRISMA guidelines

BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION

Aidi injection plus radiotherapy is widely used for lung cancer in China. Can Aidi injection alleviate the toxicity and improve the clinical efficacy of radiotherapy in lung cancer? Has Aidi injection the attenuation and synergistic efficacy to radiotherapy? There is lack of strong evidence to prove it.

OBJECTIVES

To reveal its real attenuation and synergistic efficacy to radiotherapy and provide sufficient evidence for adjuvant chemotherapy strategies to lung cancer, we systematically evaluated all related studies.

DATA SOURCES

We collected all studies about Aidi injection plus radiotherapy for lung cancer in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, China national knowledge infrastructure database (CNKI), Chinese scientific journals full-text database (VIP), Wanfang database, China biological medicine database (CBM) (established to June 2015), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (June 2015), evaluated their quality according to the Cochrane evaluation handbook of randomized controlled trials (5.1.0), extracted data following the PICO principles and synthesized the data by Meta analysis.

RESULTS

Sixteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1192 lung cancer patients were included, with general methodological quality in most trials. The merged relative risk (RR) values and their 95% CI of meta-analysis for objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and quality of life (QOL) were as follows: 1.54, (1.39,1.70), 1.10 (1.02, 1.19), and 2.13 (1.68, 2.68). The merged RR values and their 95% CI of meta-analysis for myelosuppression and neutropenia, radiation pneumonitis, and radiation esophagitis were as follows: 0.51 (0.38, 0.69), 0.53 (0.42, 0.65), 0.52 (0.41, 0.67), and 0.52 (0.40, 0.68). All were statistically significant. The possibility of publication bias was small which objectively reported the results.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence available indicates that Aidi injection plus radiotherapy can significantly improve the clinical efficacy and QOL of patients with lung cancer. Aidi injection can alleviate the myelosuppression, radiation pneumonitis, and radiation esophagitis of radiotherapy. It has the attenuation and synergistic efficacy to radiotherapy.