The efficacy of Veliparib in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of lung cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This meta-analysis aims to examine the effectiveness of veliparib, a poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor, in combination with chemotherapy in treating bronchogenic carcinoma.

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials comparing veliparib plus chemotherapy to standard chemotherapy in adult lung cancer patients, until July 2023. The main outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Results: This meta-analysis included six studies encompassing 2,136 patients. Veliparib has a slight OS improvement over placebo, HR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.83 to 1.0],  = 0.05. Veliparib offers more OS benefit in the subpopulation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) than small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), HR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.81,0.99],  = 0.03 and HR = 1.00, 95% CI [0.79, 1.28],  = 0.97, respectively. There was no significant PFS benefit between the two groups, HR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.81-1.01],  = 0.08).

Conclusion: Veliparib has a marginal inclination for overall survival improvement, more so in NSCLC, with an acceptable safety profile. Our results merit the pursuit of better-powered trials to support further the extent of veliparib's effectiveness in lung cancer patients.

Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42023453705).