Table 1. General characteristics of included studies.
| Author | Publication year | Country | No. of patients | Trial design | Therapy | Marker | Treg sites | Method | Cut -off | Follow up months, median (range) |
Outcome measured |
NOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esther et al. | 2006 | UK | 69 | RC | LT | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | 0;1–2;3–10;≥ 10/5HPF | 39.6 (2.4–202.8) | DFS | 7 |
| Fu et al. | 2007 | China | 75 | RC | Resection | CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ | PB | FCM | ≥ Mean | NR | OS | 5 |
| Kobayashi et al. | 2007 | Japan | 147 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ Median | 52.8 (0.5–169.1) | OS, DFS | 6 |
| Gao et al. | 2007 | China | 302 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ Median | 58 (2.0–109.0) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Sasaki et al. | 2008 | Japan | 164 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT, PT | IHC | ≥ 14/10HPF | 55.5 (2.0–184.0) | DFS | 7 |
| Gao et al. | 2008 | China | 240 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | Not applicable | 16.0 (1.5–68.0) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Ju et al. | 2009 | China | 207 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | PT | IHC | ≥ Median | 27.9 (1.5–77.0) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Zhou et al. | 2009 | China | 121 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ Median | NR | OS, DFS | 5 |
| Ju et al. | 2009 | China | 130 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | PT | IHC | ≥ Mean | 31.8 ± 1.7 (1.5–77.0) | OS, RFS | 7 |
| Wang et al. | 2010 | China | 140 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | Not applicable | NR | Not applicable | 5 |
| Lin et al. | 2010 | China | 102 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ Mean | 36.0 (1.0–84.0) | OS | 7 |
| Zhou et al. | 2010 | China | 111 | PC | Cryoablation | CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ | PB | FCM | ≥ Median | 12 | DFS | 4 |
| Chen et al. | 2011 | China | 293 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ 6.6/HPF | NR | OS, DFS | 5 |
| Shen et al. | 2011 | China | 76 | PC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ 27/5HPF | 12 (9.0–19.0) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Chen et al. | 2012 | China | 141 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT, PT | IHC | ≥ Median | 22.7 (2.0–70.3) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Li et al. | 2012 | China | 122 | PC | TACE | CD4+CD25+CD127– | PB | FCM | ≥ 6.7/HPF | NR | OS | 6 |
| Huang et al. | 2012 | China | 55 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT, PT | IHC | ≥ 10.8/HPF; ≥ 1.4/HPF | 21 (2–49) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Wang et al. | 2012 | China | 137 | RC | Resection, RFA, TAE |
CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ | IT, PB | IHC, FCM | ≥ 14.55/HPF, ≥ Median |
27.5 (2–49) | OS, DFS | 7 |
| Lin et al. | 2013 | China | 245 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | Not applicable | NR | OS, DFS | 4 |
| Huang et al. | 2014 | China | 56 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ Median | 36 (2–73) | OS, DFS | 6 |
| Li et al. | 2014 | China | 264 | RC | TACE | CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ | PB | FCM | ≥ Mean | NR | OS | 6 |
| Zhou et al. | 2016 | China | 49 | RC | Resection | CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ | PB | FCM | ≥ 5.07% | NR | DFS | 7 |
| Wang et al. | 2016 | China | 141 | RC | Resection | CD4+FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | Not applicable | NR | OS, DFS | 4 |
| Wang et al. | 2016 | US | 64 | PC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | PCR | Not applicable | 48.2 | OS | 5 |
| Tu et al. | 2016 | China | 57 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | ≥ 3.2/HPF | NR | OS | 4 |
| Fu et al. | 2016 | China | 348 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT | IHC | Not applicable | 53.4 (1.5–61.3) | DFS | 6 |
| Cai et al. | 2016 | China | 324 | RC | Resection | FoxP3+ | IT, PT | IHC | Not applicable | 61.03 (2–82.33) | OS, DFS | 6 |
LT, liver transplantation; IHC, immunohistochemistry; FCM, flow cytometry; WB, western blot; qRT-PCR, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; PC, prospective cohort; RC, retrospective cohort
IT, intratumoral; PT, peritumoral; PB, peripheral blood; NR, not reported; OS: overall survival; DFS: disease-free survival; HPF, high-power field median/mean value was defined as the ratio of corresponding tumor islet and stroma counts.