Meta‐analysis of whole‐brain radiotherapy plus temozolomide compared with whole‐brain radiotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases from non‐small‐cell lung cancer

Abstract The aim of this meta‐analysis was to compare the efficiency of whole‐brain radiotherapy (WBRT) plus temozolomide (TMZ) with WBRT for the treatment of brain metastases from non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For dichotomous variables, outcomes were reported as relative risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to investigate the following outcome measures: overall response rate, headache, gastrointestinal adverse reactions, and hematological adverse reactions. Twelve randomized controlled trials involving 925 participants (480 received WBRT plus TMZ; 445 received WBRT) were included in the meta‐analysis. There was a significant difference between the overall response rate (RR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.24–1.57; Z = 5.51; P