Oncological Outcomes of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Versus Upfront Surgery in Locally Advanced Colon Cancer: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Sequential Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has emerged as a potential alternative to upfront surgery (US) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced colon cancer (LACC), offering benefits such as early micrometastases eradication and improved surgical outcomes. However, its efficacy and safety remain uncertain owing to conflicting evidence.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted evaluating randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing NAC with US with adjuvant chemotherapy for LACC. Primary outcomes were 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Secondary outcomes included positive surgical margin rates and anastomotic leak/abscess. Statistical analyses employed random-effects models, with trial sequential analysis (TSA) assessing the robustness of results.

RESULTS

Eight RCTs with low risk of bias involving 3038 patients were included. NAC improved 5-year OS (81.4% versus 77.8%, hazard ratio (HR) 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64-0.91, p = 0.0028) and DFS (79.2% versus 73.7%, HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68-0.93, p = 0.0033), with low heterogeneity (I≤ 4.4%). NAC significantly reduced positive margin rates (4.1% versus 6.3%, HR 0.49, p = 0.0011) without increasing anastomotic leak/abscess (p = 0.09). The leave-one-out and the TSA analyses confirmed the robustness of OS and DFS findings, with the cumulative Z-curve crossing both the conventional and trial sequential monitoring boundaries for benefit. The GRADE assessments indicated high quality of evidence for the primary outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

NAC offers superior OS, DFS, and surgical margin outcomes in LACC without heightened surgical risks, supporting its inclusion as a viable and safe treatment option.