Efficacy and safety of iodine-125 seed implantations combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with conventional treatments often limited by radiation resistance, systemic toxicity and poor outcomes in advanced stages. Iodine-125 (I-125) seed implantation, combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy, but its efficacy and safety compared with conventional external beam radiotherapy combined with systemic therapies remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to synthesise the available evidence to evaluate the comparative benefits and risks of these treatment modalities. Two reviewers will independently search seven databases-PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library-for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). These RCTs should compare the efficacy and safety of I-125 seed implantations combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy against chemoradiotherapy combined with immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC. The risk of bias in the included studies will be evaluated using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool V.2. Data synthesis will be conducted using RevMan software. Trial sequential analysis will be applied to the primary outcomes. Additionally, subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be performed to assess the robustness of the findings. Ethical approval is not required because this study is a secondary analysis of existing data. We will disseminate the findings through peer-reviewed publications. CRD42024591684.