title: Efficacy and Toxicity of Low-Dose versus Conventional-Dose Chemotherapy for Malignant Tumors: a Meta-Analysis of 6 Randomized Controlled Trials
abstract: Low-dose chemotherapy has emerged as a new strategy for control of cancer. However, there is a controversy as to whether
  low-dose chemotherapy is an effective way to manage many human malignancies. To shed light on this controversy,
  we performed a meta-analysis of relative merits between low-dose and conventional-dose chemotherapy in different
  carcinomas. Studies published before February 29, 2016 were reviewed for the meta-analysis and selected according to
  defined criteria. The effect levels of low-dose chemotherapy regarding overall survival (OS), progression-free survival
  (PFS) and severe adverse events (SAEs) (Grade≥3) were calculated as risk ratios (ORs) or adjusted hazard ratios (HRs).
  Six randomized controlled studies (RCTs) have provided data for low-dose chemotherapy versus conventional-dose
  chemotherapy for 838 cases and 833 cases, respectively. Interestingly, low-dose chemotherapy achieved the same
  desired potency as conventional-dose chemotherapy, with no differences in pooled ORR (RR=1.00, 95%CI [0.89,
  1.13]; (P=0.97), OS (HR=1.07, 95%CI [0.90, 1.26]; P=0.44) and PFS (HR=1.02, 95%CI [0.84, 1.23]; P=0.87) values.
  Furthermore, pooled data for common SAEs showed that, compared with conventional-dose chemotherapy regimen,
  low-dose chemotherapy regimen resulted in significant less mucositis (P<0.0001), thrombocytopenia (P<0.00001),
  anemia (P=0.0001) and febrile neutropenia (P=0.004). At the same time, no statistically significant differences were
  observed with regard to treatment-related death (P=0.36), diarrhea (P=0.49), leucopenia (P=0.11), neutropenia (P=0.74)
  and nausea/vomiting (ʺPʺ=0.21). Publication bias was assessed by Egger’s test and the funnel plot. In conclusion, the
  meta-analysis seems to support the idea that low-dose chemotherapy may play an important role in achieving the same
  desired potency as conventional-dose chemotherapy in managing malignant tumors. Moreover, low-dose regimen seems
  to possess positive advantages of lower toxicity which is a particular concern for most patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350005, China. Email:xiexianhe@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Xianhe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yupeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shuimei
authors.initials: Sh
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Sijing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ruifen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: Low-dose; conventional-dose; chemotherapy; malignant tumors; RCT