Results from single-arm clinical trials can be contextualized by comparing against external controls (ECs) derived from real-world data (RWD). However, lack of randomization and differences in variable capture between data sources may introduce bias into estimates of treatment effect and standard error, the extent of which can be assessed via meta-analysis of comparisons between clinical trial control arms and their EC replicates.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have demonstrated promising efficacy in several prospective clinical studies, offering new possibilities for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Consequently, understanding the toxicity profile associated with ADCs is of critical importance.

Limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) has a poor prognosis despite being potentially curable with standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in extensive-stage SCLC has prompted investigation into combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy for LS-SCLC. This systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis aims to synthesize the evidence on this combined modality, providing pooled estimates of efficacy and safety to inform clinical practice and future trials.

Metastatic breast cancer is not curable, but women with this condition are living longer. While breast surgery is not typically part of the treatment for metastatic disease, retrospective studies suggest it might improve survival. These studies have limitations, including selection bias. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials is needed to assess the benefits and potential harms of breast surgery.

As targeted therapies and immunotherapy become increasingly prevalent in treating metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), comparative analyses are essential to determine the most effective and safe treatment combinations. This study aims to compare and rank the efficacy and safety profiles of first-line systemic treatments for mCRC.

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous malignancy with variable outcomes. Accurate risk stratification based on cytogenetic and molecular markers is essential for guiding therapy. However, the prognostic impact of several key genomic alterations remains inconsistent across studies. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the prognostic significance of cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities in pediatric AML and clarify their association with survival outcomes.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is a novel antibody-drug conjugate uesd for the treatment of HER2- positive (HER2+)breast cancer. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of T-DXd in advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.

Currently, the predominant method for surgical intervention in lung cancer is minimally invasive thoracoscopic lobectomy (MITL). This study, however, seeks to evaluate and compare various operative techniques to determine which approach offers superior efficacy for lymph node (LN) dissection during pulmonary resection.

This network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed to indicate the most effective first-line therapeutic options for advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC, particularly considering their specific clinicopathological characteristics.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with cases expected to rise 60% by 2030, especially in Asia. Metastatic CRC (mCRC) has a poor 5-year survival rate of 14%, posing a major treatment challenge. Tumors with DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) and a high level of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) respond well to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), shifting treatment strategies. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate Pembrolizumab (PEM), Nivolumab (NIV), and Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab (NIV + IPI) for their promising antitumor efficacy in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC.

IntroductionBody mass index (BMI) is a common clinical parameter associated with cancer prognosis, but its association with survival outcomes in lung cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the prognostic value of BMI in ICI-treated lung cancer patients.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted based on online databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to December 1, 2024. Eligible studies included lung cancer patients treated with ICIs and reported hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and/or progression-free survival (PFS) stratified by BMI. Random-effects models were used to determine HRs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsA total of 30 studies involving 5987 patients were included. High BMI was significantly associated with better OS (HR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.60-0.80) and PFS (HR = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.72-0.93). The subgroup analysis showed improved survival outcomes particularly in patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 as compared with others. However, this association was not statistically significant in small-cell lung cancer.ConclusionHigh BMI was associated with a better prognosis than low BMI in ICI-treated patients with lung cancer. Due to study limitations, the prognostic impact of BMI still requires further clarification with additional evidence.

B7-H4 is an immune-regulatory molecule increasingly recognized for its role in tumor progression and immune evasion in epithelial ovarian cancer. To clarify its clinical relevance, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the prevalence of B7-H4 expression and its association with survival outcomes. Nineteen eligible studies were included, of which sixteen provided data on expression proportions and eight reported progression-free or overall survival outcomes. The pooled prevalence of high or positive B7-H4 expression was 73%, though with considerable inter-study variability. High B7-H4 expression was associated with a significantly increased risk of disease progression (pooled unadjusted hazard ratio: 1.43), while its relationship with overall survival remained inconclusive due to limited data. Despite methodological differences among studies, the findings suggest B7-H4 is overexpressed and potentially prognostic in ovarian cancer. Additional studies are required to validate its clinical utility in patient risk assessment and as a therapeutic target.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has long been the standard-of-care for metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). The addition of docetaxel (DOC) and/or androgen receptor axis-targeted therapies (ARATs) such as darolutamide (DAR), enzalutamide (ENZ), apalutamide (APA), abirateone (ABI), and rezvilutamide (REZ) has been shown to significantly improve overall survival (OS) over standard-of-care in mHSPC, including standard of care plus DOC. We indirectly compared OS and progression-free survival (PFS) of DAR+DOC+ADT against approved comparators in China using Bayesian network meta-analysis. Comparator treatment data derived from published trials (identified via Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library searches) and included ENZ, APA, DOC, ABI, and REZ, each with ADT. Sensitivity analysis assumed Standard Nonsteroidal Antiandrogen (SNA)+ADT efficacy was equivalent to ADT. Fixed and random effects analyses were performed in intention-to-treat (ITT) and high-volume populations. Results were summarized using hazard ratios (HRs) relative to DAR+DOC+ADT. HRs numerically favoured DAR+DOC+ADT on all comparisons. HRs on OS (fixed effects) strongly favoured DAR+DOC+ADT against DOC+ADT (0.68 [95% CrI: 0.57-0.80]), ADT (0.55 [0.44-0.67]), and SNA+ADT (0.44 [0.28-0.70]) in ITT population; similar results were observed in high-volume population in addition to APA+ADT (0.69 [0.50-0.96]). Excluding the comparison against ABI+ADT (ITT population; random effects), which was not statistically significant, HRs on PFS strongly favoured DAR+DOC+ADT on all comparisons. Outcome definition on PFS varied across trials and is a limitation in mHSPC comparisons. Results numerically favoured DAR+DOC+ADT on OS and PFS across all comparisons, with strong evidence against APA+ADT (in the high-volume population only), DOC+ADT, ADT, and SNA+ADT on OS and all comparators on PFS (excluding ABI+ADT in ITT). Findings support the continued use of DAR+DOC+ADT as frontline treatment in mHSPC, particularly in China where REZ is approved.

The treatment of patients with advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose disease progresses after tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) treatment has become a research hotspot.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of PAX1 gene methylation in the detection of cervical lesions and assess its potential clinical application in cervical cancer screening through both a single-centre study and a meta-analysis.

Whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAT) is beneficial for resectable and locally advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is still controversial. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of NAT followed by surgery and upfront surgery for ICC treatment.

Despite the established efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in combination with chemotherapy, with or without anti-angiogenic agents, for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), a comprehensive comparative assessment of these regimens remains lacking. This study aimed to systematically compare the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of currently available ICI combination regimens for ES-SCLC.

Endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC) mainly includes endometrioid ovarian cancer (ENOC) and clear cell ovarian cancer (CCOC). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) revealed four molecular subtypes of endometrial cancer (EC) in 2013, which have been proven pivotal in the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic domains of EC. Existing evidence indicates that EC and EAOC molecular analysis have similar significance. This review aims to investigate the distribution, staging and prognostic characteristics of molecular subtypes in EAOC.

The object of this study was to explore the risk factors for incomplete excision of colorectal polyps (CP) through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the prediction of outcomes in bladder cancer (BCa). Due to the rapidly increasing availability of data to explore this issue, this updated meta-analysis investigates how pretreatment PLR influences the outcomes of BCa. Literature was retrieved from Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and PubMed from 2015 to April 2025. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and pooled hazard ratio (HR) have been employed in the exploration of the link across BCa prediction and PLR. The 95% CIs and pooled odds ratios (ORs) examined the connection between PLR and clinicopathological features of BCa. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted to identify the main sources of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was used to assess the robustness of the results. The Egger's test and "trim and fill" method have been used in evaluating publication bias. This study incorporated 20 studies comprising 5,594 participants. Elevated PLR was conspicuously linked to inferior overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.23-1.85, P < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.26-2.24, P < 0.001). A marginally significant association was observed between high PLR and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.61, 95% CI1.00-2.59, P = 0.052). No strong correlation between PLR and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.96-1.35, P = 0.138). Additionally, elevated PLR was significantly associated with tumor stage ≥ T2 (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.24-2.97, P = 0.003). The PLR can be regarded as an indicative predictor of the destitution of individuals suffering from BCa.