Published online May 21, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i19.4766
Peer-review started: December 10, 2015
First decision: December 30, 2015
Revised: January 14, 2016
Accepted: January 30, 2016
Article in press: January 30, 2016
Published online: May 21, 2016
Processing time: 159 Days and 17 Hours
AIM: To compare hybrid therapy (HT) with traditional sequential therapy (ST) and concomitant therapy (CT) for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication.
METHODS: We performed an electronic search of PubMed, Embase, and the CENTRAL database. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HT were included in the meta-analysis. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori. The secondary outcomes included the compliance rate and adverse event rate. Effect estimates were pooled using the random-effects model.
RESULTS: Twelve studies were included. Pooled results showed no significant differences in eradication rate between HT and ST in per-protocol (PP) analysis (RR = 1.03, 95%CI: 0.94-1.12, P = 0.59) or in intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (RR = 1.00, 95%CI: 0.89-1.12, P = 0.94). HT and ST showed similarly high compliance rate (96% vs 98%, P = 0.55) and acceptable adverse event rate (30.3% vs 28.2%, P = 0.63). No significant results were seen in the eradication rate between HT and CT in PP analysis (RR = 1.01, 95%CI: 0.96-1.05, P = 0.76) or in ITT analysis (RR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.95-1.03, P = 0.47). HT displayed a slightly higher compliance rate than CT (95.8% vs 93.2%, P < 0.05). The adverse event rates of HT and CT were similar (39.5% vs 44.2%, P = 0.24).
CONCLUSION: Compared with ST or CT, HT yields a similar eradication rate, high compliance rate, and acceptable safety profiles.
Core tip: This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials compared the novel hybrid therapy with sequential and concomitant therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori. The eradication rate, compliance rate and the adverse event rate were investigated as the main outcomes and were compared. Overall, similar results were shown regarding these outcomes by hybrid and sequential therapy, and by hybrid and concomitant therapy. Hybrid therapy could be an effective and safe alternative to sequential or concomitant therapy.