Table 4.
Effects of possible factors in the between-study heterogeneity in the prevalence of BRAF mutations (meta-regression model)
| Factors suspected of developing heterogeneity | Coefficient | Standard error | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2011 2014 2015 2016 |
-0.36 1.01 1.49 -1.33 |
3.20 2.99 3.81 3.24 |
0.91 0.73 0.69 0.68 |
| Location | Kermanshah Shiraz Tabriz Tehran |
-2.25 -4.45 -4.56 -3.75 |
1.49 0.73 1.03 0.86 |
0.13 <0.001* <0.001* <0.001* |
| Tumor grade | Poorly Moderately Well |
-2.24 1.69 1.51 |
3.82 5.45 2.35 |
0.55 0.75 0.52 |
| Tumor stage | 1 & 2 3 & 4 |
-2.41 2.89 |
2.22 2.04 |
0.28 0.16 |
| Tumor location | Colon Rectum |
- - |
- - |
- - |
| Sex (male) | -8.43 | 6.82 | 0.21 | |
| Mean age | -0.22 | 0.06 | <0.001* | |
| Sample size | -0.02 | 0.03 | 0.50 | |