Comparative impact of repositioned anticancer therapies on non-cancer COVID-19 patient treatment: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a serious threat to public health; anticancer-repositioning treatment strategy has been formulated to treat the disease. However, evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of repositioned anticancer treatment in treating COVID-19-infected non-cancer patients (CINPs) is limited. Therefore, this study analyzed published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the impact of anticancer drugs compared to current standards of care (SOCs) on CINP treatment.

Materials and methods: The PubMed and Embase databases were searched to identify eligible RCTs. Outcome measures included mortality, the use of mechanical ventilation (MV), and serious adverse events (SAEs).

Results: 25 RCTs were reviewed in our study. Compared to SOCs, repositioned anticancer therapy for treating CINPs was associated with mortality reduction (odds ratio (OR) = 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.65 - 0.94, p = 0.01). Using the repositioned anticancer treatment exhibited statistically significant reduction, in both the number of CINPs using MV (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.51 - 0.88, p = 0.004) and experiencing SAEs (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.69 - 0.91, p = 0.0009).

Conclusion: Conclusively, repositioned anticancer treatment was shown significant differences from SOCs in treating CINPs, which appears to be more associated with mortality, MV use, and SAE development reduction in CINPs.