Efficacy and safety of angiogenesis inhibitors in small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of angiogenesis inhibitors for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS: Totally, 16 controlled trials (1898 cases) involving angiogenesis inhibitors plus chemotherapy (ACT group) versus chemotherapy alone group (CT group) were identified from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Wanfang Data before March 2016. RESULTS: Compared with CT group, ACT group obtained a significant benefit on objective response rate (ORR) (RR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.19-1.51; P < 0.00001) and a trend of prolonging progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.73-1.01; P = 0.07) without improving overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.05; 95% CI = 0.94-1.17; P = 0.36). Remarkably, subgroup analysis showed that the antibodies targeting VEGF significantly prolonged PFS (HR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.64-0.90; P = 0.001). With regard to toxicity, there was no significant difference in severe adverse events (AEs, Grade≥3) between two groups except that gastrointestinal symptom, hypertension, metabolic disorders, neurology and pain were higher in ACT group. CONCLUSION: Compared with chemotherapy alone, antibodies targeting VEGF plus chemotherapy significantly improved ORR and prolonged PFS with an acceptable toxicity profile for patients with SCLC. Therefore, angiogenesis inhibitors, especially antibodies targeting VEGF, combining with chemotherapy may be a potential promising strategy in managing SCLC.