Table 2. Pooled and subgroup analyses of the main results for the meta-analysis of disease-free survival.
| Categories | n | Model | HR (95% CI) | Z | P | Heterogeneity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I2 | Ph | ||||||
| Disease-free survival (DFS) | 6 (2904) | Random | 1.80 (1.32–2.44) | 3.72 | < 0.001 | 56.8% | 0.041 |
| Study region | |||||||
| China | 3 (2271) | Random | 1.60 (1.08–2.36) | 2.36 | 0.018 | 52.9% | 0.119 |
| Japan | 3 (633) | Random | 2.10 (1.23–3.59) | 2.72 | 0.007 | 59.8% | 0.083 |
| Primary treatment | |||||||
| Surgery | 4 (1196) | Fixed | 1.79 (1.37–2.34) | 4.30 | < 0.001 | 0.0% | 0.812 |
| Others | 2 (1708) | Random | 1.37 (1.09–1.73) | 2.67 | 0.008 | 88.1% | 0.004 |
| Clinical stage | |||||||
| All | 4 (2384) | Fixed | 1.43 (1.19–1.73) | 3.73 | < 0.001 | 31.7% | 0.222 |
| Others | 2 (520) | Random | 2.70 (1.13–6.40) | 2.25 | 0.025 | 66.7% | 0.083 |
| Sample size | |||||||
| < 200 | 3 (378) | Random | 2.18 (1.24–3.81) | 2.72 | 0.006 | 59.6% | 0.084 |
| ≥ 200 | 3 (2526) | Fixed | 1.40 (1.14–1.73) | 3.22 | 0.001 | 49.7% | 0.137 |
| Cut-off value | |||||||
| < 0.1 | 5 (2768) | Fixed | 1.46 (1.23–1.75) | 4.19 | < 0.001 | 20.2% | 0.286 |
| ≥ 0.1 | 1 (136) | Random | 4.30 (1.94–10.13) | 3.53 | < 0.001 | NA | NA |
P denotes P value for statistical significance based on Z test; Ph denotes P value for heterogeneity based on Q test. HR hazard ratio; CI confidence interval; NA not available.