ABSTRACT
Objective:To conduct meta analysis to compare the effect of complete resection with or without postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) on survival in stage Ⅲ(N 2) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods:Relevant studies of the efficacy of PORT for stage Ⅲ(N 2) NSCLC were searched from Wanfang Data, PubMed, and Cochrane Library from January 2006 to January 2022. Literature screening, extraction of information and assessment of the risk of bias of the included literature was carried out by two independent researchers. Meta analysis was performed using R4.0.3 software. Results:A total of 12 publications consisting of 2992 patients were included, 1479 cases in the PORT group and 1513 cases in the control group. PORT improved the overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) compared to the control group. Fixed-effects model meta analysis of 6 randomized controlled trials showed that PORT did not significantly reduce the risk of death ( HR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.80-1.20). Fixed-effects model meta analysis of 6 retrospective studies showed that PORT improved prognosis ( HR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.59-0.79). PORT could improve OS of patients with multiple (station) metastasis of ipsilateral mediastinum and / or submandibular lymph nodes ( HR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.80-0.99). Conclusions:PORT could improve OS and DFS in stage Ⅲ(N 2) NSCLC. A trend towards benefit can be observed in the subgroup with multiple/multi-station N2 metastasis.