Randomized controlled trials which compared
pemetrexed-based doublet with single-agent
pemetrexed in patients as second-line treatment of advanced
non-small cell lung cancer were searched. Overall survival (OS) was the primary end point, while secondary end points included progression-free survival, overall response rate, 1-year survival rate, and grade 3 or 4 toxicity.
RESULTS: Four eligible randomized clinical trials including 1,084 patients were selected. Meta-analysis demonstrated that
pemetrexed-based doublet arm significantly improved the overall response rate (OR=2.70, 95% CI: 1.76-4.15, p=0.000), compared with
docetaxel alone group, while there were no significant differences in overall survival (HR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.74-1.04, p=0.132), progression-free survival (HR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.73-1.15, p=0.443), and 1-year survival rate (OR=1.43, 95% CI: 0.85-2.40, p=0.178) between the two arms. However, there were more frequencies of grade 3-4 leucopenia (OR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.32-6.20, p=0.008),
neutropenia (OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.55-4.68, p=0.000) and
thrombocytopenia (OR=6.92, 95% CI: 2.51-19.07, p=0.000) in
pemetrexed-based doublet group. Grade 3-4
anemia (OR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.33-1.18, p=0.144) and
fatigue (OR=1.15, 95% CI: 0.73-1.79, p=0.550) had equivalent incidences in the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: