Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sodium cantharidin injection plus radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone

in the treatment of esophageal cancer

we performed a Meta-analysis based on the literature. Method: Electronic databases of CBM

CNKI

Wangfang

VIP and PUBMED were searched

and the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about sodium cantharidin injection plus radiotherapy for esophageal cancer were included. Quality of the included randomized clinical trials was assessed by Jadad scoring. And Meta-analyses were performed by using Stata software. Result: Three RCTs involving 253 patients were included in Meta-analyses. The quality of all studies was in low quality. The results of Meta-analyses showed that sodium cantharidin injection plus radiotherapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer

compared with control groups

could increase effective rate [RR=1.283

95%CI(1.076

1.530)] and clinical benefit rate [RR=1.112

95%CI(1.024

1.207)] and decrease leucocyte reduction rate[RR=0.239

95%CI(0.110

0.522)]. Conclusion: Sodium cantharidin injection plus radiotherapy can improve the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer and decrease bone marrow suppression

still

high quality RCTs were needed to provide further evidence to confirm its clinical efficacy and safety.