Efficacy and safety of apatinib treatment for gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

Apatinib (Aitan , brand name in China) is a new anti-antiangiogenic agent that has recently been approved for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (GC) in China. Nevertheless, its therapeutic efficacy against other types of advanced solid tumors remains unclear. This meta-analysis examines the short-term efficacy and safety of apatinib or combination therapy for GC, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and provides a discussion of its anti-angiogenesis therapy applications. Seven clinical studies met the inclusion criteria. The treatment of cancers using apatinib was more successful compared to therapy without apatinib. Both objective response rates (ORRs) and disease control rates (DCRs) were significantly improved in the apatinib group compared to those in the control group (RR=2.18, 95% CI 1.30-3.65; RR=2.09, 95% CI 1.21-3.60). The DCR of 850 mg qd and 750 mg qd were higher than those in the control group (