Photo Credit: Mohammed Haneefa Nizamudeen

The following is a summary of “TC-325 superiority in Malignant Gastrointestinal Bleeding – An Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials,” published in the September 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Alali et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study evaluating the effectiveness of topical hemostatic agents, commonly used for peptic ulcer bleeding, in malignant gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB).

They assessed the efficacy of topical hemostatic agents for malignant GIB. Literature from OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science was reviewed (November 2023), focusing on RCTs comparing the agents to conventional endoscopic methods. Evidence quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and GRADE approach, and PRISMA guidelines were followed. Primary outcomes were immediate hemostasis and 30-day rebleeding, with additional outcomes including all-cause mortality and AEs, OR from endpoint comparisons were calculated using logistic regression.

The results showed 985 citations, leading to the inclusion of 3 RCTs with 160 patients, all evaluating TC-325 (Hemospray^TM), TC-325 demonstrated higher rates of immediate hemostasis compared to conventional endoscopic methods (OR = 46.6 [5.89; 369.1]) with low certainty. The 30-day rebleeding rate was significantly lower with TC-325 (OR = 0.28 [0.11; 0.70]), as was further bleeding (OR = 0.11 [0.05; 0.26]), both with very low certainty. No differences in all-cause mortality or the need for additional non-endoscopic treatments between groups, and no AEs were reported. Subgroup analysis reaffirmed the superiority of TC-325 in patients with upper GIB.

Investigators concluded that TC-325 outperformed conventional endoscopic therapy in managing malignant GIB, leading to improved immediate hemostasis, 30-day rebleeding, and further bleeding, as supported by very low-to-low certainties of evidence.

Source: journals.lww.com/ajg/abstract/9900/tc_325_superiority_in_malignant_gastrointestinal.1327.aspx