Table 1. Clinicopathological and demographical characteristics of NSCLC patients with ALK rearrangements.
| Comparisons | Subgroups | Articles | Characteristics | Effect estimate (95% CI) | p value | df(p) | I 2 | |
| Gender | NSCLC | Western | 9 | males (59/559, 10.6%) vs. females (54/536, 10.1%) | OR: 1.12 (0.55, 2.28) | 0.76 | 8(p = 0.05) | 49% |
| Asian | 36 | males (282/6492, 4.3%) vs. females (381/5070, 7.5%) | OR: 0.59 (0.49, 0.73) | <0.00001 | 36(p = 0.09) | 24% | ||
| Mixed | 5 | males (56/638, 8.8%) vs. females (72/1041, 6.9%) | OR: 1.51 (0.86, 2.64) | 0.15 | 4(p = 0.10) | 49% | ||
| Total | 50 | males (397/7689, 5.2%) vs. females (507/6647, 7.6%) | OR: 0.72 (0.58, 0.90) | 0.004 | 50(p<0.0001) | 51% | ||
| Ad only | Western | 4 | males (25/207, 12.1%) vs. females (20/281, 7.2%) | OR: 1.70 (0.64, 4.50) | 0.29 | 3(p = 0.18) | 39% | |
| Asian | 13 | males (136/2130, 6.4%) vs. females (160/2196, 7.3%) | OR: 0.83 (0.65, 1.06) | 0.13 | 12(0.97) | 0% | ||
| Mixed | 2 | males (30/305, 9.8%) vs. females (48/670, 7.2%) | OR: 1.44 (0.66, 3.13) | 0.36 | 1(p = 0.13) | 56% | ||
| Total | 19 | males (191/2642, 7.2%) vs. females (228/3147, 7.2%) | OR: 1.00 (0.79, 1.25) | 0.97 | 18(p = 0.29) | 13% | ||
| Smoking status | NSCLC | Western | 6 | smoker (27/668, 3.6%) vs. non-smoker (57/243, 23.5%) | OR: 0.16 (0.08, 0.32) | <0.00001 | 5(p = 0.25) | 24% |
| Asian | 26 | smoker (142/4363, 3.3%) vs. non-smoker (309/3724, 8.3%) | OR: 0.42 (0.31, 0.58) | <0.00001 | 25(p = 0.01) | 43% | ||
| Mixed | 4 | smoker (25/829, 3.0%) vs. non-smoker (67/492, 13.6%) | OR: 0.19 (0.12, 0.32) | <0.00001 | 3(0.99) | 0% | ||
| Total | 36 | smoker (194/5860, 3.3%) vs. non-smoker (433/4459, 9.7%) | OR: 0.33 (0.25, 0.44) | <0.00001 | 35(p = 0.0007) | 49% | ||
| Ad only | Western | 2 | smoker (6/296, 2.0%) vs. non-smoker (19/97, 19.6%) | OR: 0.06 (0.01, 0.52) | <0.00001 | 1(p = 0.15) | 52% | |
| Asian | 11 | smoker (63/1448, 4.4%) vs. non-smoker (160/1922, 8.3%) | OR: 0.54 (0.39, 0.75) | = 0.0002 | 10(p = 0.41) | 3% | ||
| Mixed | 1 | smoker (9/382, 2.4%) vs. non-smoker (35/293, 11.9%) | OR: 0.18 (0.08, 0.38) | <0.00001 | NA | NA | ||
| Total | 14 | smoker (78/2126, 3.7%) vs. non-smoker (214/2312, 9.3%) | OR: 0.36 (0.23, 0.57) | <0.0001 | 13(p = 0.008) | 54% | ||
| Tumor stage | NSCLC | Western | 3 | stage I–III (13/453, 2.9%) vs. stage IV (18/131, 13.7%) | OR: 0.21 (0.04, 0.21) | 0.05 | 2(p = 0.13) | 51% |
| Asian | 19 | stage I–III (248/5652, 4.4%) vs. stage IV (101/929, 10.9%) | OR: 0.70 (0.51, 0.98) | 0.04 | 18(p = 0.95) | 0% | ||
| Mixed | 4 | stage I–III (41/639, 6.4%) vs. stage IV (43/345, 12.5%) | OR: 0.57 (0.30, 1.11) | 0.10 | 3(p = 0.65) | 0% | ||
| Total | 26 | stage I–III (302/6744, 4.5%) vs. stage IV (162/1405, 11.5%) | OR: 0.58 (0.44, 0.78) | 0.0002 | 25(p = 0.43) | 2% | ||
| Ad only | Western | 1 | stage I–III (4/265, 1.5%) vs. stage IV (16/93, 17.2%) | OR: 0.07 (0.02, 0.23) | <0.00001 | NA | NA | |
| Asian | 7 | stage I–III (87/1727, 5.0%) vs. stage IV (22/222, 9.9%) | OR: 0.73 (0.40, 1.33) | 0.31 | 6(p = 0.83) | 0% | ||
| Mixed | 1 | stage I–III (28/253, 11.1%) vs. stage IV (6/47, 12.8%) | OR: 0.85 (0.33, 2.18) | 0.74 | NA | NA | ||
| Total | 9 | stage I–III (119/2245, 5.3%) vs. stage IV (44/362, 12.1%) | OR: 0.53 (0.25, 1.09) | 0.09 | 8(p = 0.03) | 52% | ||
| Histology | Ad vs. non-Ad | Western | 7 | Ad (100/1654, 6.0%) vs. non-Ad (23/677, 3.4%) | OR: 1.11 (0.59, 2.07) | 0.75 | 6(p = 0.30) | 18% |
| Asian | 23 | Ad (302/3997, 7.6%) vs. non-Ad (28/1898, 1.5%) | OR: 2.92 (1.88, 4.53) | <0.00001 | 22(p = 0.27) | 14% | ||
| Mixed | 3 | Ad (47/549, 8.6%) vs. non-Ad (3/149, 2.0%) | OR: 2.44 (0.79, 7.48) | 0.12 | 2(p = 0.63) | 0% | ||
| Total | 33 | Ad (449/6200, 7.2%) vs. non-Ad (54/2724, 2.0%) | OR: 2.25 (1.54, 3.27) | <0.0001 | 32(p = 0.09) | 26% | ||
| Ad vs. SCC | Western | 5 | Ad (24/443, 5.4%) vs. Scc (5/241, 2.1%) | OR: 1.33 (0.48, 3.68) | 0.58 | 4(p = 0.60) | 0% | |
| Asian | 19 | Ad (227/3594, 6.3%) vs. Scc (11/1415, 0.8%) | OR: 3.64 (2.17, 6.09) | <0.00001 | 18(p = 0.67) | 0% | ||
| Mixed | 3 | Ad (47/549, 8.6%) vs. Scc (1/98, 1.0%) | OR: 1.46 (0.33, 6.54) | 0.62 | 2(p = 0.37) | 0% | ||
| Total | 27 | Ad (298/4586, 6.5%) vs. Scc (17/1754, 1.0%) | OR: 2.79 (1.80, 4.33) | <0.00001 | 26(p = 0.57) | 0% | ||
| Age | NSCLC | Western | 8 | mean age: ALK(+) (54.5, 104) vs. ALK(−) (64.2, 872) | WMD: −6.18 (−15.13, 2.77) | 0.18 | 7(p<0.00001) | 96% |
| Asian | 28 | mean age: ALK(+) (54.6, 519) vs. ALK(−) (62.9, 8647) | WMD: −6.99 (−8.91, −5.08) | <0.00001 | 27(p<0.00001) | 74% | ||
| Mixed | 4 | mean age: ALK(+) (57.3, 120) vs. ALK(−) (66.0, 1248) | WMD: −9.57 (−13.28, −5.86) | <0.00001 | 3(p = 0.06) | 59% | ||
| Total | 40 | mean age: ALK(+) (55.1, 743) vs. ALK(−) (63.4, 10767) | WMD: −7.16 (−9.35, −4.96) | <0.00001 | 39(p<0.00001) | 87% | ||
| Ad only | Western | 4 | mean age: ALK(+) (57.0, 45) vs. ALK(−) (66.1, 444) | WMD: −8.62 (−19.27, 2.01) | 0.11 | 3(p<0.00001) | 92% | |
| Asian | 13 | mean age: ALK(+) (57.9, 242) vs. ALK(−) (62.9, 3826) | WMD: −5.40(−7.35, −3.46) | <0.00001 | 12(p = 0.01) | 52% | ||
| Mixed | 3 | mean age: ALK(+) (58.2, 101) vs. ALK(−) (66.2, 1126) | WMD: −8.98 (−13.52, −4.44) | 0.0001 | 2(p = 0.02) | 74% | ||
| Total | 20 | mean age: ALK(+) (57.9, 388) vs. ALK(−) (63.8, 5396) | WMD: −6.81 (−9.18, −4.45) | <0.00001 | 19(p<0.00001) | 80% | ||
| ALK vs. EGFR | Western | 2 | mean age: ALK(+) (51.9, 48) vs. EGFR mutated (61.5, 52) | WMD: −8.26 (−15.94, −0.57) | 0.04 | 1(p = 0.17) | 47% | |
| Asian | 9 | mean age: ALK(+) (54.1, 110) vs. EGFR mutated (59.7, 891) | WMD: −5.89 (−9.62, −2.16) | 0.002 | 8(p = 0.0005) | 72% | ||
| Mixed | 4 | mean age: ALK(+) (56.5, 161) vs. EGFR mutated (64.4, 582) | WMD: −8.17 (−11.17, −5.17) | <0.00001 | 3(p = 0.13) | 46% | ||
| Total | 15 | mean age: ALK(+) (55.0, 319) vs. EGFR mutated (61.5, 1525) | WMD: −6.95 (−9.32, −4.59) | <0.00001 | 14(p = 0.0003) | 64% | ||
| ALK vs. KRAS | Western | 1 | mean age: ALK(+) (51, 41) vs. KRAS mutated (59.5, 49) | WMD: −8.50 (−14.09, −2.91) | 0.003 | NA | NA | |
| Asian | 6 | mean age: ALK(+) (56.3, 67) vs. KRAS mutated (60.6, 66) | WMD: −4.26 (−7.70, −0.82) | 0.02 | 5(p = 0.46) | 0% | ||
| Mixed | 3 | mean age: ALK(+) (57.1, 142) vs. KRAS mutated (65.8, 707) | WMD: −8.54 (−11.53, −5.56) | <0.00001 | 2(p = 0.16) | 46% | ||
| Total | 10 | mean age: ALK(+) (55.9, 250) vs. KRAS mutated (65.0, 822) | WMD: −6.94 (−9.27, −4.60) | <0.00001 | 9(p = 0.13) | 35% | ||
Abbreviations: NSCLC, non-small-cell lung cancer; Ad, adenocarcinoma; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; OR, odds ratio; WMD, weighted mean difference; CI, confidence interval.