A meta-analysis of debulking surgery versus surgical biopsy for unresectable XXXX   .

@entity1 @entity204 @entity704
UNASSIGNED: Observational studies on long-term outcomes following debulking surgery or surgical biopsy for unresectable @entity704 showed various results. This meta-analysis was designed to determine the effect of debulking surgery against surgical biopsy on overall survival in @entity1 with unresectable @entity704 . The PubMed database was queried for studies published in the English language on unresectable @entity704 and overall survival. We compared overall survival following surgery in @entity1 undergoing debulking surgery and @entity1 undergoing surgical biopsy for unresectable @entity704 . Meta-analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel method, and potential publication bias was evaluated with a funnel plot of precision. No randomized trials on this topic were identified. Thirteen retrospective observational studies containing a sum of 314 @entity1 with information on the number of @entity204 and @entity1 -years were suitable for analysis. Information on Masaoka stages, World Health Organization histology and indications for debulking surgery versus surgical biopsy was lacking in most studies. Diversity of neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments was noted among the eligible studies. One hundred and seventy-two (54.8%) @entity1 underwent debulking surgery and 142 (45.2%) underwent surgical biopsy. The pooled hazard ratio was 0.451 (95% confidence interval: 0.336-0.605, P < 0.001), favouring @entity1 undergoing debulking surgery compared with @entity1 undergoing surgical biopsy. The funnel plot of precision demonstrated no important publication bias. Our results suggest that debulking surgery for unresectable @entity704 may be associated with improved overall survival and be considered for @entity1 with unresectable @entity704 .
