Supplementary Material for: Comparison of Platinum/S-1 and Platinum/5-Fluorouracil as First-Line Chemotherapy for Advanced Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer: A Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Controlled Trials

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Platinum/S-1 (PS) and platinum/5-fluorouracil (PF) as first-line chemotherapies are extensively used for the treatment of advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer (AGC); however, there is no definite consensus on which regimen is best. In our meta-analysis, we compared PS with PF in terms of their efficacy and safety in AGC patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and CNKI were systematically searched for pertinent literature. We analyzed overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse effects (AEs) as major end points. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 3,225 studies were identified, among which 6 randomized controlled trials, including 1,736 participants, were ultimately included in our analysis. Our results showed that PS and PF were comparable in terms of OS (<i>p</i> = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84–1.06), PFS (<i>p</i> = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.87–1.09), ORR (<i>p</i> = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.91–1.28), DCR (<i>p</i> = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.86–1.43), total AEs (<i>p</i> = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.98–1.01), and grade ≥3 AEs (<i>p</i> = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.82–1.41). However, those who received PF had a shorter time to failure (TTF) (<i>p</i> = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.77–0.97), and a significantly higher rate and more severe cases of stomatitis, nausea, and hypokalemia were reported in the PF group. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> PF and PS show similar antitumor efficacy (OS, PFS, ORR, and DCR), but patients receiving PS exhibit longer TTF and fewer AEs (stomatitis, nausea, and hypokalemia) than those receiving PF.