Table 2. Subgroup analysis for overall survival of concurrent NCRT plus surgery vs. surgery alon.
| Subgroups | Included studies | Sample size | HR (95 % CI) | P value for heterogeneity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCRTS | SA | ||||
| Geographical location | |||||
| West | 6 | 525 | 536 | 0.74(0.64-0.85) | 0.081 |
| East | 6 | 352 | 343 | 0.82(0.67-1.00) | 0.714 |
| Histology | |||||
| SCC | 8 | 438 | 436 | 0.76(0.63-0.90) | 0.508 |
| AC | 3 | 272 | 274 | 0.72(0.48-0.1.08) | 0.021 |
| AC+SCC | 3 | 161 | 165 | 0.80(0.62-1.04) | 0.182 |
NCRTS, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery; SA , surgery alone; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; AC, adenocarcinoma; HR, hazard ratio; CI: confidence interval.