Table 2.
Overview of results of the included articles studying oestrogen receptor (ER) load in 26,259 patients
| References | Level of evidence and design | Number of patients | Outcome measure | Median FU (years) | Significant association |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartlett 2011 [18] | 2b, RCT | 4325 | DFS | 5 | Yes |
| Esslimani-Sahla 2004 [23] | 3b, case–control | 50 | Recurrence | 5 | Yes |
| Dowsett 2008 [22] | 1b, RCT | 1856 | DFS | 5.7 | Marginally |
| Ma 2013 [26] | 3b, case–control | 1206 | BCSS | 10 | Marginally |
| Ryu 2018 [30] | 3b, cohort | 4948 | OS | 4.8 | Marginally |
| Campbell 2016 [19] | 2b, cohort | 503 | DFS | 5.7 | No |
| Chae 2011 [20] | 2c, cohort | 171 | DFS | 4.3 | No |
| Chapman 2013 [21] | 1b, RCT | 345 | DFS | 9.7 | No |
| Harigopal 2010 [24] | 2b, RCT | 1715 | DFS | 7.2 | No |
| Hill 2017 [25] | 3b, case–control | 1098 | OS | 7.8 | No |
| Mazouni 2010 [27] | 1b, cohort | 797 | OS | 6.3 | No |
| Morgan 2011 [28] | 3b, cohort | 563 | OS | 10 | No |
| Prabhu 2014 [17] | 2b, cohort | 231 | DFS | 2.4 | No |
| Prat 2013 [29] | 4, cohort | 701 | DRFS | 12.5 | No |
| Regierer 2011 [11] | 2b, cohort | 3971 | RFS | 5 | No |
| Turbin 2008 [31] | 2b, cohort | 3484 | BCSS | 12.5 | No |
| Zhang 2014 [32] | 3b, cohort | 295 | OS | 5 | No |
In case of statistically significant associations, a higher ER load is associated with better clinical outcome. Level of evidence, according to the Oxford Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine [18]
FU Follow-up, DFS Disease-free survival, BCSS Breast cancer-specific survival, OS Overall survival, DRFS Distant recurrence-free survival, RFS Recurrence-free survival