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 < 0.00001) and grade ≥3 hypertension (RR 4.79; 95% CI 2.31 to 9.93; P < 0.0001) in advanced NSCLC patients who were receiving vandetanib compared with the controls. Moreover, vandetanib significantly prolonged all-grade QTc interval (RR 7.90; 95% CI 4.03 to 15.50; P < 0.00001) and grade ≥3 QTc interval (RR 3.12; 95% CI 1.01 to 9.63; P = 0.05).
Conclusions: Current evidence showed that significant risks in developing hypertension and QTc prolongation exist in advanced NSCLC patients who were receiving vandetanib. Thus, appropriate monitoring and management of these events are recommended.