Meta-analysis showing that early response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy predicts better survival among cervical cancer patients

Abstract

This study was designed to identify the prognostic value of early response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for long-term survival of cervical cancer patients. We searched Pubmed and EMBASE for studies published through July 2016 on outcomes of cervical patients that received NACT. Eight studies involving 825 cervical cancer patients were ultimately included in our meta-analysis. We pooled the hazard ratios (HR) according to random-effects models and used funnel plots with Egger’s and Begg’s tests to explore potential publication bias. The HR between early response and 1-year overall survival (OS) was 3.60 (95% CI 1.93–6.72; I² = 0). Similar results were found in the analysis of 3-year OS (HR 3.34; 95% CI 2.28–4.90; I² = 0) and 5-year OS (HR 3.44; 95% CI 2.40–4.94; I² = 0). Sensitivity analysis showed that all of the pooled results were robust, and all logHRs had confidence limits > 0. Our findings indicate that early response is associated with long-term survival, and responders achieved a higher survival rate than non-responders.