Table 2. Association of MT staining and clinicopathological factors – individual tumor types taken into account.
| Tumor | Factor | Number of studies | OR/HR* (95% CI) | Heterogeneity | Model | |
| P-value | I2 (%) | |||||
| bladder | Tumor vs. control | 2 | 1.68 (0–1135.79) | 0.002 | 89.89 | Random effects |
| Tumor stage | 3 | 1.56 (0.77–3.16) | 0.354 | 3.64 | Fixed effects | |
| Tumor grade | 3 | 0.96 (0.21–4.33) | 0.027 | 72.24 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 3 | 1.78 (0.57–5.51) | 0.070 | 62.44 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal | 2 | 1.96 (0.40–9.66) | 0.022 | 80.89 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, distant | 1 | 1.31 (0.21–8.27) | - | - | - | |
| Overall survival | 1 | 2.06 (1.26–3.37) | - | - | - | |
| breast | Tumor vs. control | 1 | 0.07 (0.00–1.29) | - | - | - |
| Tumor stage | 1 | 1.20 (0.59–2.43) | - | - | - | |
| Tumor size | 1 | 1.73 (0.68–4.40) | - | - | - | |
| Tumor grade | 5 | 1.85 (1.22–2.82) | 0.096 | 49.19 | Fixed effects | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 3 | 2.57 (0.59–11.26) | 0.001 | 86.55 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal | 3 | 2.57 (0.59–11.26) | 0.001 | 86.55 | Random effects | |
| colorectal | Tumor vs. control | 1 | 0.02 (0.00–0.24) | - | - | - |
| Tumor stage | 5 | 1.27 (0.51–3.16) | 0.000 | 83.09 | Random effects | |
| Tumor size | 2 | 0.71 (0.32–1.56) | 0.299 | 7.15 | Fixed effects | |
| Tumor grade | 6 | 2.32 (0.86–6.29) | 0.000 | 77.64 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 6 | 1.11 (0.38–3.24) | 0.001 | 75.84 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal | 4 | 1.12 (0.30–4.16) | 0.001 | 82.13 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, distant | 2 | 1.04 (0.07–15.17) | 0.050 | 73.87 | Random effects | |
| Overall survival | 1 | 1.05 (1.00–1.10) | - | - | - | |
| esophageal | Metastases, nodal + distant | 2 | 2.89 (1.17–7.15) | 0.464 | 0.00 | Fixed effects |
| Metastases, nodal | 1 | 2.30 (0.77–6.85) | Fixed effects | |||
| Metastases, distant | 1 | 4.78 (0.94–24.33) | - | - | - | |
| gallbladder | Tumor vs. control | 1 | 34.41 (1.76–673.37) | - | - | - |
| Tumor grade | 1 | 2.25 (0.37–13.71) | - | - | - | |
| hepatocellular | Tumor vs. control | 3 | 0.10 (0.03–0.30) | 0.548 | 0.00 | Fixed effects |
| Tumor stage | 1 | 3.53 (0.36–34.18) | - | |||
| Tumor size | 2 | 1.04 (0.12–9.42) | 0.023 | 80.53 | Random effects | |
| Tumor grade | 2 | 0.47 (0.28–0.80) | 0.832 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 1 | 0.62 (0.39–0.98) | - | - | - | |
| Metastases, distant | 1 | 0.62 (0.39–0.98) | - | - | - | |
| head and neck | Tumor vs. control | 5 | 9.95 (5.82–17.03) | 0.191 | 34.56 | Fixed effects |
| Tumor stage | 2 | 2.02 (0.36–11.27) | 0.123 | 58.04 | Random effects | |
| Tumor grade | 4 | 0.72 (0.22–2.40) | 0.091 | 53.68 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 2 | 3.49 (0.25–48.04) | 0.036 | 77.24 | Random effects | |
| Metastases, nodal | 2 | 3.49 (0.25–48.04) | 0.036 | 77.24 | Random effects | |
| Overall survival | 2 | 3.14 (1.61–6.15) | 0.826 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| kidney | Tumor vs. control | 2 | 0.06 (0.00–2.20) | 0.043 | 75.47 | Random effects |
| Tumor stage | 2 | 0.38 (0.07–2.13) | 0.086 | 66.00 | Random effects | |
| Tumor grade | 2 | 1.74 (0.66–4.59) | 0.001 | 90.91 | Fixed effects | |
| lung | Tumor grade | 1 | 0.92 (0.05–18.12) | - | - | - |
| Overall survival | 2 | 1.03 (0.63–1.67) | 0.622 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| lung, adenoca. | Tumor grade | 1 | 5.77 (0.29–116.67) | - | - | - |
| lung, squamous cell | Tumor grade | 1 | 0.15 (0.01–2.81) | - | - | - |
| melanoma | Tumor vs. control | 2 | 9.41 (0.03–3106.54) | 0.000 | 93.39 | Random effects |
| Tumor size | 1 | 4.85 (3.51–6.70) | - | - | - | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 2 | 2.47 (1.30–4.70) | 0.336 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| Metastases, nodal | 1 | 2.23 (1.14–4.39) | - | - | - | |
| Metastases, distant | 1 | 6.63 (0.81–54.61) | - | - | - | |
| Overall survival | 1 | 7.16 (4.71–10.89) | - | - | - | |
| ovary | Tumor vs. control | 4 | 7.83 (1.09–56.29) | 0.003 | 78.82 | Random effects |
| Tumor grade | 2 | 3.08 (1.38–6.88) | 0.616 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| Overall survival | 1 | 1.58 (1.01–2.47) | - | - | - | |
| prostate | Tumor vs. control | 2 | 0.74 (0–4095.48) | 0.000 | 95.32 | Random effects |
| Tumor grade | 4 | 2.09 (0.86–5.07) | 0.365 | 5.64 | Fixed effects | |
| Gleason Grade | 2 | 1.40 (0.47–4.14) | 0.238 | 28.06 | Fixed effects | |
| Overall survival | 1 | 1.86 (1.79–1.94) | - | - | - | |
| stomach | Tumor vs. control | 3 | 3.50 (0.17–73.01) | 0.000 | 95.71 | Random effects |
| Tumor stage | 1 | 0.73 (0.33-1.63) | - | - | - | |
| Tumor grade | 1 | 1.45 (0.67–3.14) | - | - | - | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 1 | 0.59 (0.27–1.28) | - | - | - | |
| Metastases, nodal | 1 | 0.59 (0.27–1.28) | - | - | - | |
| Overall survival | 1 | 4.23 (1.8–9.94) | - | - | - | |
| testes | Tumor stage | 2 | 0.33 (0.10–1.03) | 0.301 | 6.54 | Fixed effects |
| thyroid | Tumor vs. control | 3 | 0.39 (0.16–0.95) | 0.182 | 41.39 | Fixed effects |
| thyroid, follicular | Tumor vs. control | 3 | 2.27 (1.11–4.63) | 0.212 | 35.59 | Fixed effects |
| thyroid, medullar | Tumor vs. control | 1 | 0.11 (0.03–0.39) | - | - | - |
| thyroid, papillary | Tumor vs. control | 3 | 0.23 (0.02–2.85) | 0.026 | 72.64 | Random effects |
| uterine | Tumor vs. control | 1 | 0.01 (0.00–0.10) | - | - | - |
| Tumor stage | 2 | 1.53 (0.61–3.86) | 0.538 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| Tumor grade | 2 | 2.81 (1.17–6.8) | 0.569 | 0.00 | Fixed effects | |
| Metastases, nodal + distant | 1 | 1.01 (0.27–3.79) | - | - | - | |
| Metastases, nodal | 1 | 1.01 (0.27–3.79) | - | - | - | |
Heterogeneity of studies analyzed using Cochran's Q-test (p-value displayed) and using I2. Egger's two-tailed test used for publication bias analysis (p-value displayed). * effect measure is odds ratio, OR, except for survival analysis using hazard ratio, HR. No heterogeneity test and no model indicated when 1 study per factor analyzed. CI, confidence interval.