Table 4. A summary of overall and subgroup analysis evaluating the relationship between CK18 expression and the outcome of breast cancer patients.
| Categories | Cohorts (n) | HR (95%CI) | P value | I2 (%) | Model types |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS | 8 (4448) | 0.99 (0.77–1.27) | 0.96 | 82 | Random-effects |
| PFS | 3 (2861) | 1.26 (1.15–1.39) | <0.00001 | 32 | Fixed-effects |
| Ethnicity | Random-effects | ||||
| Asian | 4 (1879) | 0.97 (0.72–1.32) | 0.85 | 76 | |
| Caucasian | 4 (2569) | 1.03 (0.65–1.63) | 0.90 | 86 | |
| Median follow-up time (months) | Random-effects | ||||
| >60 | 4 (2540) | 1.12 (0.89–1.42) | 0.11 | 51 | |
| <60 | 4 (1908) | 0.98 (0.64–1.48) | 0.91 | 87 | |
| Mean age (years) | Random-effects | ||||
| >50 | 5 (2497) | 0.92 (0.62–1.37) | 0.69 | 84 | |
| <50 | 3 (1951) | 1.18 (0.96–1.44) | 0.11 | 47 | |
| Publication year | Fixed-effects | ||||
| Before 2010 | 4 (2780) | 0.70 (0.60–0.83) | <0.0001 | 0 | |
| After 2010 | 4 (1668) | 1.26 (1.13–1.41) | <0.00001 | 0 | |
| Specimen sources | Fixed-effects | ||||
| Serum | 5 (2875) | 1.24 (1.11–1.38) | <0.0001 | 42 | |
| Tissue | 3 (1573) | 0.71 (0.60–0.84) | <0.00001 | 0 | |
| Testing methods | Fixed-effects | ||||
| ELISA | 4 (2575) | 1.21 (1.08–1.35) | 0.0001 | 21 | |
| IHC | 4 (1873) | 0.83 (0.71–0.96) | <0.0001 | 84 | |
| Chemotherapy | Random-effects | ||||
| With | 4 (1172) | 0.93 (0.65–1.33) | 0.70 | 75 | |
| Without | 4 (3276) | 1.05 (0.69–1.59) | 0.84 | 88 | |
| Segment type | Random-effects | ||||
| M30 | 5 (2902) | 1.17 (0.95–1.45) | 0.13 | 69 | |
| M65 | 3 (1546) | 0.72 (0.61–0.86) | 0.0003 | 0 |