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Treatment benefit of electrochemotherapy for superficial squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis

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Abstract

Objective

Treating aggressive superficial squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) poses challenges due to invasiveness. Palliative care is recommended for inoperable cases with extensive tumors near vital organs, risking disfigurement or functional impairment. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an emerging cutaneous tumor treatment, but its efficacy against superficial SCC remains uncertain. This study conducts a systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis to evaluate ECT's effectiveness against superficial SCC and provide current evidence for clinical practice.

Methods

Embase, PubMed and Cochrane Library were searched for studies up to May 2023. The random effects model analyzed complete response (CR) and partial response (PR), with subgroup assessment based on drug dosage, treatment response evaluation, tumor size, primary/recurrent status, and tumor location.

Results

Ten studies involving 162 patients and 208 tumors were included. Pooled CR and PR rates for ECT-treated superficial SCC were 66.5% (95% CI 48.4%–82.5%; I2 = 84%) and 20.3% (95% CI 10.5%–32.3%; I2 = 70%), respectively. Subgroup analysis indicated ECT's superiority in treating primary tumors (PR: 70%, CR: 30%) and tumors ≤ 3 cm (PR: 81.3%, CR: 10.1%) compared to recurrent tumors (PR: 56.7%, CR: 36.5%) and tumors > 3 cm (PR: 45.2%, CR: 34.4%).

Conclusion

This single-arm meta-analysis confirms ECT's efficacy against superficial SCC, especially in primary tumors and those ≤ 3 cm in diameter. The study highlights the impact of tumor location and response evaluation on ECT's benefits, warranting further investigation through additional research.

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Data availability

The original contributions and datasets presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material. Further inquiries are available by contacting the corresponding author directly.

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Funding

The present study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12301064) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2412022QD34).

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Author notes

  1. Zhuoxia Wu and Chen Tao contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, Jilin, China

    Zhuoxia Wu, Lingfeng Pan & Lianbo Zhang

  2. School of Mathematics and Statistics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China

    Chen Tao

  3. Department of Dermatology, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, Jilin, China

    Liehao Yang

  4. Department of Ultrasound, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, Jilin, China

    Yan Yan

Authors
  1. Zhuoxia Wu
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  4. Yan Yan
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  5. Lingfeng Pan
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Contributions

ZW and CT contributed equally to this work. ZW and LZ conceived and designed this study. LY, LP and YY are in charge of data searching and acquisition independently. ZW and LY conducted data analysis and interpretation. CT and ZW performed quality control of data and algorithms. ZW and LY drafted the manuscript. CT reviewed the manuscript and is in charge of financial support and final approval of manuscript. CT is the guarantor of integrity of the entire clinical study. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chen Tao.

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All the data are obtained from publicly available datasets. Ethics approval is not required.

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Wu, Z., Tao, C., Yang, L. et al. Treatment benefit of electrochemotherapy for superficial squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis. Clin Transl Oncol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-024-03522-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-024-03522-4

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