Table 3. Meta-analysis of reported clinicopathologic characteristics in the included studies.
| Parameters | Number of Studies | Test for association | Test for heterogeneity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR | 95% CI | P | Chi2 | I2 | P | ||
| Gender (Male vs.Female) | 13 | 0.93 | [0.74, 1.19] | 0.58 | 14.82 | 19% | 0.25 |
| Age (≤ 50 vs. > 50) | 3 | 1.12 | [0.55, 2.26] | 0.76 | 4.44 | 55% | 0.11 |
| Tumor size (≤ 5 cm vs. > 5 cm) | 9 | 0.73 | [0.47, 1.14] | 0.17 | 20.73 | 66% | 0.11 |
| Tumor number (Single vs. Multiple) | 9 | 0.73 | [0.56, 0.95] | 0.02 | 3.23 | 0% | 0.86 |
| AFP level (≤ 400 vs. 400 ng/mL) | 6 | 0.66 | [0.52, 0.84] | 0.00 | 9.12 | 45% | 0.10 |
| ALT level (≤ 40 vs. 40 U/L) | 3 | 1.15 | [0.62, 2.12] | 0.65 | 7.89 | 75% | 0.02 |
| Liver cirrhosis (Yes vs. No) | 11 | 1.31 | [0.80, 2.14] | 0.28 | 28.79 | 65% | 0.00 |
| Vascular invasion (Yes vs. No) | 10 | 2.20 | [1.50, 3.22] | 0.00 | 20.52 | 56% | 0.01 |
| Tumor encapsulation, (Presence vs. Absence) | 6 | 1.00 | [0.78, 1.29] | 0.89 | 8.76 | 43% | 0.12 |
| TNM stage (I+II vs. III+IV) | 6 | 0.64 | [0.49, 0.86] | 0.00 | 3.18 | 0% | 0.67 |
| Child-Pugh score (A vs. B+C) | 7 | 1.16 | [0.74, 1.81] | 0.52 | 7.60 | 21% | 0.27 |
| Tumor differentiation (I+II vs III+IV) | 7 | 0.58 | [0.46, 0.74] | 0.00 | 3.69 | 0% | 0.72 |
| PVTT (Yes vs. No) | 4 | 1.43 | [0.97, 2.10] | 0.07 | 5.29 | 43% | 0.15 |
| History of hepatitis (Yes vs. No) | 10 | 1.50 | [0.83, 2,71] | 0.18 | 35.64 | 75% | 0.00 |
| HBsAg (Positive vs. Negative) | 5 | 0.78 | [0.54, 1.12] | 0.17 | 6.91 | 43% | 0.14 |
| HBeAg (Positive vs. Negative) | 5 | 1.36 | [0.86, 2.14] | 0.19 | 1.62 | 0% | 0.80 |
AFP, alpha fetoprotein; ALT, alanine transaminase; PVTT, portal vein tumor thrombus.