Platinum versus immunotherapy for early resectable non-small cell lung cancer: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. Non-small cell Lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of the total lung cancer. For patients with resectable early NSCLC, conventional postoperative adjuvant therapy can significantly prolong the overall survival of patients and reduce the risk of tumor recurrence. With the emergence and maturity of molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy, the strategy of postoperative chemotherapy for lung cancer patients has changed greatly. To evaluate the efficacy of postoperative chemotherapy (platinum based chemotherapy and immunotherapy) with or without radiotherapy for NSCLC patients, we will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of published or unpublished randomized controlled trials. METHODS: We will search Pubmed (Medline), Embase, Google Scholar, Cancerlit, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for related studies published without language restrictions before June 20, 2021. Two review authors will search and assess relevant studies independently. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized controlled trials studies will be included. we will perform subgroup analysis in different methods of postoperative adjuvant therapy for patients with resectable early NSCLC. Because this study will be based on published or unpublished records and studies, there is no need for ethics approval. INPLASY registration number: INPLASY202080064. RESULTS: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This study will compare the efficacy of platinum chemotherapy and immunotherapy in patients with resectable early NSCLC. Since the large sample randomized trials that meet the inclusion criteria of this study may be inadequate, we will consider incorporating some high quality small sample related tests, which may lead to heterogeneity and affect the reliability of the results.