Table 1. Characteristics and results for 13 included studies.
| Author | Publication year | Country | No. | Gender (M/F) |
Media age(Y) | Media Follow-up | N/C | Positive (%) | Cut-off value | Stage I-II/III-IV |
Grade I-II/III |
LN (+) |
OS | HR estimate | NOS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhao[22] | 2012 | China | 128 | 66/62 | — | 15.4m | N | 48.43 | — | 77/51 | 44/15 | 69 | OS | HR | 8 |
| Yu[26] | 2015 | China | 82 | 48/34 | 59 | 36.3m | N | 59.76 | — | 38/44 | — | 61 | OS | HR | 8 |
| Wang[27] | 2011 | China | 208 | 128/80 | 59.8 | 67m | N | 46.15 | 25% | 158/50 | 132/76 | 142 | OS | HR | 8 |
| Wang[33] | 2012 | China | 59 | 32/27 | 57.6 | — | N | 52.54 | 10% | 46/13 | 44/15 | 28 | — | — | — |
| Yang[35] | 2012 | China | 87 | 58/29 | 58 | — | N | 59.34 | 10% | — | 59/28 | 44 | — | — | — |
| Cortas[29] | 2007 | USA | 145 | 61/84 | 70 | — | N | 37.31 | >5% | 123/22 | — | 58 | OS | HR | 7 |
| Achcar[32] | 2007 | USA | 303 | 181/122 | — | >5y | N | 60.53 | 33% | 244/59 | — | — | — | _ | — |
| Zhao[30] | 2011 | China | 68 | 38/30 | 59.4 | — | — | 68.96 | 50% | 27/41 | 29/39 | 41 | OS | HR | 8 |
| Haura[15] | 2005 | USA | 176 | 97/79 | 69 | 37m | — | — | — | — | — | _ | OS | K-M | 7 |
| Jiang[24] | 2016 | China | 194 | 122/72 | 59 | 41m | N | 46.20 | — | 127/67 | 130/64 | 87 | OS | HR | 7 |
| Mukohara[34] | 2003 | Japan | 60 | 45/15 | 67.5 | 8.4y | — | 58.33 | >5% | 40/20 | 35/25 | — | — | — | _ |
| Kim[31] | 2010 | Korea | 162 | 93/69 | 62 | 67m | — | 68.96 | 25% | 126/36 | 103/43 | 50 | OS | — | — |
| van Cruijsen[28] | 2009 | USA | 176 | 127/49 | 64.5 | — | N | 70.70 | 50% | 141/35 | — | — | OS | K-M | 7 |
M, male; F, female; N, nucleus; C, cytoplasm; No., patients number; LN, Lymph node metastasis; Positive, percentage of pSTAT3 positive cells; K-M, Kaplan-Meier survival carves; OS, Overall survival; "—", not mentioned.