Table 2.
Subgroup analysis of association between HCV and RCC risk.
| Category of variables | Studies, n | Heterogeneity | RR (95%CI) | P value for difference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I2, % | P value | ||||
| RCC | 11 | 70.1 | < 0.001 | 1.28(1.05–1.55) | 0.013 |
| Type of RR | |||||
| HR | 3 | 13.5 | 0.315 | 1.59(1.22–2.08) | 0.001 |
| OR | 3 | 79.0 | 0.009 | 1.03(0.76–1.39) | 0.866 |
| SIR | 5 | 53.4 | 0.072 | 1.37(1.01–1.84) | 0.040 |
| Study design | |||||
| Cohort study | 7 | 45.6 | 0.088 | 1.47(1.18–1.82) | < 0.001 |
| Case–control study | 4 | 68.7 | 0.023 | 1.02(0.79–1.33) | 0.857 |
| Geographic area | |||||
| North America | 3 | 0 | 0.991 | 1.71(1.40–2.09) | < 0.001 |
| Asia | 3 | 0 | 0.521 | 1.22(1.05–1.40) | 0.008 |
| Europe | 3 | 71.9 | 0.014 | 1.23(0.85–1.79) | 0.267 |
| Australia | 1 | – | – | 0.90(0.59–1.37) | 0.626 |
| Publication year | |||||
| After 2012 | 7 | 76.6 | < 0.001 | 1.26(0.99–1.59) | 0.057 |
| Before 2012 | 4 | 59.9 | 0.058 | 1.37(0.90–2.07) | 0.142 |
| NOS score | |||||
| ≥ 7 | 7 | 81.0 | < 0.001 | 1.34(1.04–1.73) | 0.024 |
| ≤ 6 | 4 | 0 | 0.625 | 1.21(0.94–1.56) | 0.144 |
| ≤ 6 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.20(0.91–1.58) | 0.196 |
HCV = hepatitis C; RCC = renal cell carcinoma; BC = bladder cancer; PCa = prostate cancer; RR = relative risk; HR = hazard ratio; OR = odds ratio; SIR = standardized incidence ratio; NOS = Newcastle–Ottawa Scale;