Role of Antiangiogenic Agents Combined With EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Treatment-naive Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Antiangiogenic agents combined with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are considered potentially effective biologically synergistic drug combinations for EGFR-mutant advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although some controversy remains. The European Commission has approved the use of bevacizumab plus erlotinib as first-line treatment of EGFR-mutated NSCLC; however, it has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Recently, several phase III, randomized controlled trials of combinations of antiangiogenic agents and EGFR-TKIs have been reported. These studies have not yet been included in any previous meta-analysis.

Materials and methods: We performed a meta-analysis to compare antiangiogenic agents plus EGFR-TKIs versus EGFR-TKIs alone for treatment of EGFR-mutant NSCLC. The main outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), the objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events (AEs).

Results: We identified 9 previous reports of 6 randomized controlled trials and 1 prospective cohort study, involving 1295 patients. Compared with EGFR-TKIs alone, antiangiogenic agents plus EGFR-TKIs resulted in a higher PFS (hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.67; P < .001). However, no significant differences in OS (hazard ratio, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.53-1.18; P = .26) and ORR (risk ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.97-1.10; P = .30) were found between the 2 groups. An increased risk of serious AEs (risk ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.11-1.79; P = .005) was found in the combination drug therapy group.

Conclusions: Antiangiogenic agents plus EGFR-TKIs enhanced PFS for patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC but with a greater risk of serious AEs. No significant benefits for OS and ORR were found between the 2 groups.