Efficiency of Protective Interventions on Irinotecan-Induced Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Irinotecan is widely used in the treatment of various solid tumors, but the adverse effects from it, especially diarrhea, limit its use. Several clinical trials of prophylactic treatment of irinotecan-induced diarrhea (IID) have been ongoing, and some of the data are controversial. This encouraged us to conduct a meta-analysis of the effects of interventions on preventing IID. Method: This systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA statement. We performed literature searches from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The number registered in PROSPERO is CRD42022368633. After searching 1034 articles in the database and references, 8 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Result: The RR of high-grade diarrhea and all-grade diarrhea were 0.31 (I2 = 51%, 95% CI: 0.14-0.69; P =.004) and.76 (I2 = 65%, 95% CI: 0.62-0.93; P