Efficacy of Anlotinib Plus Docetaxel in Advanced NSCLC Previously Treated with Platinum-Based Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Anlotinib is a novel oral antiangiogenic tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) approved as a third-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its efficacy in combination with docetaxel remains incompletely understood. Given the need for effective second-line therapies after platinum-based chemotherapy, this systematic review aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of anlotinib plus docetaxel in advanced NSCLC. Methods: The PubMed, WOS, Medline, and Scopus databases were screened for published articles up to 12 April 2024. We included RCTs comparing anlotinib plus docetaxel with docetaxel alone in advanced NSCLC after receiving platinum-based chemotherapy, reporting progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) as outcomes for both groups. Results: Our systematic review included three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 151 patients in the anlotinib plus docetaxel group and 132 in the docetaxel-only group. Meta-analysis results demonstrated that the combination therapy significantly prolonged PFS (mean difference (MD) = 2.98, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.95–4.00; p < 0.00001) and improved ORR (risk ratio (RR) = 3.04, 95% CI = 1.77–5.24; p < 0.00001). Additionally, the DCR was notably higher in the combination group (RR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.34–1.87; p < 0.00001). Conclusions: Anlotinib plus docetaxel appears to be more effective as a second-line treatment of advanced NSCLC than docetaxel in prolonging PFS and increasing ORR and DCR.