Thoracic perfusion of recombinant mutant human tumor necrosis factor (rmhTNF) can be considered as a good adjunct in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion caused by lung cancer

Background Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been investigated to be correlated with the occurrence and progression of lung cancer. This investigation was to assess the efficacy and safety of recombinant mutant human tumor necrosis factor (rmhTNF) for controlling malignant pleural effusion (MPE) through thoracic perfusion. Methods Through searching from MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrance Library, OVID and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), a total of 12 studies with 694 patients were included in this study. A series of meta-analysis methods were used to analyze the extracted data. Results Thoracic perfusion of rmhTNF combined with cisplatin promoted the objective response rate (ORR) (P < 0.001; odds ratio = 4.49) and the quality of life (QOL) of patients with MPE (P < 0.001; odds ratio = 10.33), as compared with cisplatin alone. Although the participation of rmhTNF increased the incidence of fever (P < 0.001), it seemed to relieve the adverse reactions in the digestive tract (P = 0.017). Conclusions Thoracic perfusion of rmhTNF contributes to the treatment of MPE and improves the QOL of MPE patients.