Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Jun;65(6):332-340.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2023.0439.

Effectiveness and Safety of Carbon Ion Radiotherapy in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ji Eun Yun #  1 , Sujin Kim #  2   3 , Keun Young Park  2 , Worlsook Lee  4
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effectiveness and Safety of Carbon Ion Radiotherapy in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ji Eun Yun et al. Yonsei Med J. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness of carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) compared to that of conventional radiotherapy in patients with various types of solid tumors.

Materials and methods: We systematically searched eight electronic databases from inception until August 2022 in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The comparative effectiveness of the different treatment options was assessed by a random-effects meta-analysis.

Results: This review included 34 comparative studies and three treatment groups. Overall, the meta-analysis indicated comparable local control rates between the CIRT and control groups [pooled risk ratio (RR)=1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90-1.15]. The local control rate in the CIRT group was higher than that in the photon therapy group, but slightly lower than that in the proton radiation therpy (PRT) group. Additionally, the CIRT group had significantly higher overall survival (OS) (RR=1.19, 95% CI=1.01-1.42) and progression-free survival (PFS) (RR=1.50, 95% CI=1.01-2.21) rates compared to the control group. In the subgroup analysis, survival rates were similar between the CIRT and PRT groups.

Conclusion: CIRT was associated with improved toxicity, local tumor control, OS, and PFS compared to conventional treatments. Therefore, CIRT was found to be a safe and effective option for achieving local control in patients with solid tumors.

Keywords: Carbon ion radiotherapy; comparative study; effectiveness; safety; solid cancer; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Flow diagram based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Meta-Analyses guidelines.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Forest plot of toxicity.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Forest plot of local control (A) and local recurrence (B).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Forest plot of survival. (A) Overall survival. (B) Progression-free survival.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kocarnik JM, Compton K, Dean FE, Fu W, Gaw BL, Harvey JD, et al. Cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life years for 29 cancer groups from 2010 to 2019: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2019. JAMA Oncol. 2022;8:420–444. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Seiwert TY, Salama JK, Vokes EE. The concurrent chemoradiation paradigm--general principles. Nat Clin Pract Oncol. 2007;4:86–100. - PubMed
    1. Durante M, Orecchia R, Loeffler JS. Charged-particle therapy in cancer: clinical uses and future perspectives. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2017;14:483–495. - PubMed
    1. Igaki H, Mizumoto M, Okumura T, Hasegawa K, Kokudo N, Sakurai H. A systematic review of publications on charged particle therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Int J Clin Oncol. 2018;23:423–433. - PubMed
    1. Spychalski P, Kobiela J, Antoszewska M, Błażyńska-Spychalska A, Jereczek-Fossa BA, Høyer M. Patient specific outcomes of charged particle therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma - A systematic review and quantitative analysis. Radiother Oncol. 2019;132:127–134. - PubMed

MeSH terms