Efficacy and safety of thrombopoietin receptor agonists in solid tumors with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) in solid tumors with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT). METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, FMRS, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the efficacy and safety of TPO-RAs in solid tumors with CIT. The search was limited to articles published before April 30, 2022. Primary outcomes included chemotherapy dose reduction or delays, platelet transfusion, the incidence of grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia, and bleeding events. Secondary outcomes encompassed the incidence of platelet count > 400 × 10(9)/L, adverse events (AEs), serious AEs, thrombosis, and mortality. RESULTS: Our analysis encompassed six studies: five rigorous RCTs and one unique study comparing romiplostim to an observation group, involving a total of 489 patients. For primary outcomes, TPO-RAs significantly reduced the incidence of grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia (RR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52–0.91). After applying the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, the significance of the reduction in grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia incidence persisted (P = 0.008). TPO-RAs showed no significant impact on chemotherapy dose reduction or delays (RR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.65–1.01), platelet transfusion (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.48–2.27), or bleeding events (RR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.23–1.10). In terms of safety, there were no significant difference in the incidence of any AEs (RR = 0.98, 95% CI:0.92–1.04), serious AEs (RR = 0.79, 95% CI:0.45–1.40), thrombotic events (RR = 1.20, 95% CI:0.51–2.84) and mortality (RR = 1.15, 95% CI:0.55–2.41). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that TPO-RAs are generally well-tolerated. However, their efficacy in solid tumors with CIT appears limited, as they only demonstrate a reduction in the incidence of grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40360-023-00707-5.