Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies. SCC: squamous cell carcinoma; EAC: esophageal adenocarcinoma; IHC: immunohistochemistry; ISH: in situ hybridization; RFS: relapse-free survival; DSF: disease-free survival; OS: overall survival; CSS cause-specific survival; ECSS: esophageal cancer-specific survival
| AUTHOR | YEAR | STEM CELL MARKER | COUNTRY | ETHNICITY | TUMOR TYPE | DETECTION METHOD | CUT-OFF VALUE | OUTCOME | HAZARD RATIO (REPORTED/ ESTIMATED) | NOS SCORE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCC | EAC | ||||||||||
| Perry et al. | 2015 | CD34 | UK | Caucasian | 0 | 43 | IHC | >0 | RFS | E | 6 |
| Lu et al. | 2015 | CD133 | China | Asian | 154 | 0 | IHC | Score ≥2 (0-3) | DFS OS | R | 5 |
| Shimada et al. | 2012 | NANOG and OCT-4 | Japan | Asian | 81 | 0 | IHC | NANOG: Score >2 (0-5); OCT-4 Score >3 (0-5) | CSS | E | 5 |
| Zhang et al. | 2010 | Nucleostemin | China | Asian | 62 | 0 | ISH | >0 | Lymphatic Metastasis | E | 6 |
| He et al. | 2012 | OCT-4 | China | Asian | 153 | 0 | IHC | Score >3 (0-9) | OS | R | 6 |
| Okamoto et al. | 2016 | CD133 | Japan | Asian | 47 | 0 | IHC | >80% | ECSS | R | 6 |
| Yang et al. | 2017 | OCT-4 | Korea | Asian | 127 | 0 | IHC | Score ≥2 (0-3) | DFS OS | R | 6 |
| Nakajima et al. | 2012 | Nucleostemin and CD133 | Japan | Asian | 51 | 0 | IHC | Nucleostemin >80%; CD133 >0 | OS | R | 7 |
| Li et al. | 2012 | OCT-4 | China | Asian | 50 | 0 | IHC | Score ≥3 (0-4) | OS | R | 6 |
| Goscinski et al. | 2013 | CD34 | Norway | Caucasian | 24 | 28 | IHC | >25% | CS | E | 5 |
| Elpek et al. | 2001 | CD34 | Turkey | Caucasian | 53 | 0 | IHC | ≥92 | OS | E | 6 |
| Igarashi et al. | 1998 | CD34 | Japan | Asian | 83 | 0 | IHC | >116 | OS | E | 6 |
| Hang et al. | 2012 | CD133 | China | Asian | 110 | 0 | IHC | >1% | OS | E | 7 |
| Hwang et al. | 2014 | NANOG | Taiwan | Asian | 41 | 0 | IHC | >0 | CS | E | 5 |
| Okamoto et al. | 2013 | CD133 | Japan | Asian | 86 | 0 | IHC | >1% | OS | R | 7 |
| Kitadai et al. | 1998 | CD34 | Japan | Asian | 71 | 0 | IHC | >43 | OS | E | 5 |
| Sun et al. | 2015 | NANOG | China | Asian | 149 | 0 | IHC | >8 (0-12) | CS | E | 6 |
| Tanigawa et al. | 1997 | CD34 | Japan | Asian | 43 | 0 | IHC | ≥145 | OS | R | 6 |
| Sarbia et al. | 1996 | CD34 | Germany | Caucasian | 130 | 0 | IHC | >63 | Lymphatic Metastasis | E | 6 |