Table 4. Pooled and subgroup analysis of main results for the meta-analysis restricted to studies of disease-free survival (DFS).
| Categories | Trials (Patients) | HR (95% CI) | I2 (%) | Ph | Z | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFS | 9 (2235) | 2.10 (1.67-2.63)R | 49.1% | 0.046 | 6.41 | < 0.001 |
| Cancer type | ||||||
| CC | 2 (315) | 2.11 (1.01-4.45) | 0.0% | 0.385 | 1.97 | 0.049 |
| CRC | 2 (832) | 2.79 (1.32-5.89)R | 86.5% | 0.006 | 2.70 | 0.007 |
| EC | 2 (188) | 2.10 (1.43-3.08) | 64.6% | 0.093 | 3.81 | < 0.001 |
| Others | 3 (900) | 1.73 (1.39-2.15) | 0.0% | 0.735 | 4.91 | < 0.001 |
| Clinical stage | ||||||
| I–IV | 3 (590) | 1.62 (1.26-2.08) | 0.0% | 0.840 | 3.74 | < 0.001 |
| I–III | 3 (620) | 2.79 (1.65-4.70)R | 75.6% | 0.017 | 3.85 | < 0.001 |
| II–III | 1 (710) | 1.95 (1.45-2.61) | NA | NA | 4.45 | < 0.001 |
| I–II | 2 (315) | 2.11 (1.01-4.45) | 0.0% | 0.385 | 1.97 | 0.049 |
| Study region | ||||||
| Easern Asia | 5 (907) | 1.88 (1.48-2.40) | 14.3% | 0.323 | 5.11 | < 0.001 |
| Europe | 4 (1328) | 2.18 (1.51-3.14)R | 71.5% | 0.014 | 4.19 | < 0.001 |
| Sample size | ||||||
| ≥100 | 6 (1954) | 2.13 (1.58-2.87)R | 61.1% | 0.025 | 4.95 | < 0.001 |
| <100 | 3 (281) | 2.05 (1.48-2.85) | 30.4% | 0.237 | 4.31 | < 0.001 |
| NOS score | ||||||
| ≤ 6 | 4 (441) | 2.94 (2.18-3.95) | 44.9% | 0.142 | 7.12 | < 0.001 |
| > 6 | 5 (1794) | 1.79 (1.51-2.12) | 0.0% | 0.703 | 6.69 | < 0.001 |
DFS disease-free survival; NA not available; CC cervical cancer; CRC colorectal cancer; EC esophagus cancer; NOS Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.
All pooled HRs were calculated from fixed-effect model except for cells marked with (random R). Ph denotes P value for heterogeneity based on Q test; P denotes P value for statistical significance based on Z test.