Table 1.
Main characteristics of the eligible studies
| Study | Year | Country | Recruitment period | Prospective data collection | Inclusion and exclusion criteria | Definition of survival | Definition of LN density | Cut-off of LN density | Interpretation of LN density | Quality scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herr [5] | 2003 | USA | 1979–1999 | No | No | No | Yes | 20 | NA | 3 |
| Fleischmann [18] | 2005 | Switzerland | 1985–2000 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 20 | NA | 5 |
| Osawa [19] | 2009 | Japan | 1990–2005 | No | Yes | No | No | 25 | NA | 4 |
| Wiesner [20] | 2009 | Germany | 2001–2006 | Yes | No | No | No | 11 | NA | 3 |
| Furukawa [21] | 2010 | Japan | 1995–2003 | No | Yes | No | No | 25 | NA | 4 |
| Guzzo [22] | 2010 | USA | 1988–2003 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 25 | NA | 5 |
| Stephenson [23] | 2010 | USA | 1999–2007 | No | No | No | No | 20 | Blind | 3 |
| May [24] | 2011 | Germany | 1989–2008 | No | Yes | No | Yes | 20 | NA | 5 |
| Jensen [25] | 2012 | Denmark | 2004–2009 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 | NA | 6 |
| Morgan [26] | 2012 | USA | 1992–2006 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 20 | NA | 4 |
| Kassouf [27] | 2013 | Multination | 1993–2005 | No | Yes | Yes | No | None* | NA | 4 |
| Masson-Lecomte [28] | 2013 | France | 2002–2011 | No | No | No | Yes | 20 | NA | 4 |
| Mmeje [29] | 2013 | USA | 2005–2009 | No | No | Yes | Yes | 20 | NA | 4 |
| Kwon [30] | 2014 | Korea | 1990–2011 | No | Yes | Yes | No | 18 | NA | 4 |
LND: lymph node density, NA: not available