Table 1.
Main characteristics of the studies included.
| Source | Design | Region | MFP (months) | Sample size | Stage | Therapy | Cut-off value | Outcome | NOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoji et al. (16) | RO | Japan | 58 | 141 | I | Surgery | 98 | OS, CSS, RFS | 8 |
| Hino et al. (17) | RO | Japan | 40.63 | 739 | I-III | Surgery | 98 | OS, CSS | 7 |
| Peng et al. (18) | PO | China | 28 | 257 | III-IV | Mixed | 98 | OS | 7 |
| Tang et al. (19) | RO | China | 17.2 | 144 | IV | Mixed | 97 | OS | 6 |
| Asakawa et al. (20) | RO | Japan | >60 | 286 | I-IIA | Surgery | 102.1 | OS | 8 |
| Sonehara et al. (21) | RO | Japan | NA | 85 | IV | ICI | 89.5 | OS, PFS | 6 |
| Shoji1 et al. (22) | RO | Japan | 51 | 272 | I-III | Surgery | 98 | OS | 9 |
| Takahashi et al. (23) | RO | Japan | 46 | 475 | I-III | Surgery | 101 | OS, RFS | 7 |
MFP, median follow-up; NOS, Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment Scale; RO, retrospective study; PO, prospective study; ICI, immune checkpoint inhibitor; OS, overall survival; CSS, cancer-specific survival; RFS, recurrence-free survival; PFS, progression-free survival.