Treatment algorithm for Kimura's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of treatment modalities and prognostic predictors

Background: Kimura's disease is a rare, chronic inflammatory condition that usually manifests as highly recurrent head and neck tumors.

Objective: Systematic review of recurrence predictors following surgical excision.

Materials and methods: The pathologically confirmed cases at the tertiary medical center were reviewed. PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Airiti Library containing grey literature were searched through August 31st, 2019.

Results: A total of 31 articles were included for meta-analysis which revealed that surgical excision resulted in a lower recurrence rate (pooled odds ratio [POR] = 3.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-8.82; p = 0.03) than conservative measures. Surgery was an effective single treatment modality for patients with tumors smaller than 3 cm (POR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.20-6.95; p = 0.02), symptom duration shorter than 5 years (POR = 3.11, 95% CI, 1.03-9.38; p = 0.04), peripheral blood eosinophilia less than 20% (POR = 4.49, 95% CI: 1.46-13.84; p = 0.009) or serum IgE level less than 10000 IU/ml (POR = 8.30, 95% CI: 1.05-65.34; p = 0.04).

Conclusions: Directing patients with Kimura's disease through the treatment algorithm will reduce the recurrence rate. Combination adjuvant therapy with surgery is recommended for the following conditions -- a tumor greater than or equal to 3 cm in size, symptom duration longer than or equal to 5 years, peripheral blood eosinophilia greater than or equal to 20%, or serum IgE greater than or equal to 10000 IU/ml to achieve the optimal therapeutic outcome.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020173258 (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO).