Meta-analysis of the risks of hypertension and QTc prolongation in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who were receiving vandetanib

Background A meta-analysis of published data was conducted to investigate the overall risks of hypertension and QTc prolongation in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were receiving vandetanib. Methods A computerized search through electronic databases, including PubMed and Embase (until Dec 2014), was performed to obtain eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared hypertension and/or QTc prolongation profile of vandetanib alone or plus chemotherapy with control groups (placebo, single targeted therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of them) in patients with advanced NSCLC. The outcome measures were the overall risks of hypertension and QTc prolongation. Relative risk (RR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) were calculated and pooled using a random effects model. Results A total of nine RCTs, which involved 4813 patients, were enrolled in the present study. A significant increase in risk was observed for all-grade hypertension (RR 5.58; 95 % CI 4.16 to 7.48; P