Table 2. Subgroup analysis of meta-analysis.
| Subgroup | Number of studies | Estimated effect size | Heterogeneity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HR | 95% CI | Z-value | P-value | I2 (%) | ||
| 1. CRP | ||||||
| Quality of study | ||||||
| High | 5 | 2.042 | 1.425–2.928 | 3.887 | <0.001 | 42.515 |
| Low | 6 | 1.446 | 1.044–2.004 | 2.217 | 0.027 | 90.921 |
| Stage | ||||||
| Advanced* | 6 | 1.649 | 1.112–2.445 | 2.489 | 0.013 | 91.546 |
| Stage I–III | 5 | 1.667 | 1.183–2.348 | 2.923 | 0.003 | 62.656 |
| Cut-off value (mg/dL) | ||||||
| CRP < 1.0 | 5 | 1.591 | 1.121–2.258 | 2.600 | 0.009 | 72.654 |
| CRP ≥ 1.0 | 6 | 1.686 | 1.218–2.335 | 3.145 | 0.002 | 79.409 |
| Chemotherapy† | ||||||
| Included | 2 | 2.582 | 1.536–4.341 | 3.579 | <0.001 | 41.339 |
| Excluded | 9 | 1.457 | 1.174–1.809 | 3.413 | 0.001 | 68.040 |
| Study design | ||||||
| Prospective | 1 | 2.235 | 1.859–2.687 | 8.558 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Retrospective | 10 | 1.545 | 1.226–1.948 | 3.684 | <0.001 | 72.134 |
| 2. NLR | ||||||
| Quality of study | ||||||
| High | 8 | 1.401 | 1.251–1.570 | 5.836 | <0.001 | 5.709 |
| Low | 16 | 1.732 | 1.509–1.987 | 7.815 | <0.001 | 54.168 |
| Stage | ||||||
| Advanced* | 14 | 1.603 | 1.468–1.750 | 10.518 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Stage I–III | 10 | 1.586 | 1.288–1.953 | 4.348 | <0.001 | 74.883 |
| Country | ||||||
| Asia | 20 | 1.638 | 1.460–1.837 | 8.428 | <0.001 | 57.571 |
| Western | 4 | 1.413 | 1.114–1.792 | 2.849 | 0.004 | <0.001 |
| Cut-off value (mg/dL) | ||||||
| NLR ≤ 3 | 14 | 1.562 | 1.359–1.795 | 6.284 | <0.001 | 66.679 |
| NLR > 3 | 10 | 1.710 | 1.481–1.975 | 7.320 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Chemotherapy† | ||||||
| Included | 4 | 1.550 | 1.190–2.019 | 3.252 | <0.001 | 24.871 |
| Excluded | 20 | 1.615 | 1.443–1.809 | 8.310 | <0.001 | 55.537 |
| Study design | ||||||
| Prospective | 6 | 1.569 | 1.400–1.758 | 7.759 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Retrospective | 18 | 1.608 | 1.405–1.840 | 6.891 | <0.001 | 59.778 |
| 3. GPS/mGPS | ||||||
| Quality of study | ||||||
| High | 7 | 1.731 | 1.363–2.197 | 4.506 | <0.001 | 65.037 |
| Low | 8 | 1.433 | 1.000–2.053 | 1.960 | 0.050 | 74.725 |
| Stage | ||||||
| Advanced* | 10 | 1.474 | 1.132–1.918 | 2.884 | 0.004 | 64.636 |
| Stage I–III | 5 | 1.998 | 1.393–2.865 | 3.764 | <0.001 | 81.592 |
| Country | ||||||
| Asia | 10 | 1.559 | 1.205–2.018 | 3.375 | <0.001 | 74.134 |
| Western | 5 | 1.851 | 1.387–2.470 | 4.184 | <0.001 | 48.054 |
| Chemotherapy† | ||||||
| Included | 6 | 1.149 | 0.679–1.943 | 0.517 | 0.605 | 77.853 |
| Excluded | 9 | 1.763 | 1.455–2.136 | 5.786 | <0.0001 | 62.488 |
| Study design | ||||||
| Prospective | 7 | 2.000 | 1.606–2.491 | 6.188 | <0.001 | 42.906 |
| Retrospective | 8 | 1.319 | 0.976–1.784 | 1.800 | 0.072 | 74.911 |
*the inclusion of patients with stage IV gastric cancer.
†the inclusion of patients with neo- or adjuvant chemotherapy. CRP, c-reactive protein; GPS, Glasgow prognostic score; HR, hazard ratio; mGPS, modified Glasgow prognostic score; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio.