Abstract
Purpose: This meta-analysis investigated the relationships between the CD44+/CD24- phenotype and tumor size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) in 8036 postoperative breast cancer patients enrolled in 23 studies.Methods: A literature search of PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, Embase, and PMC was conducted to identify eligible studies. The combined odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were analyzed to evaluate the relationships between the CD44+/CD24- phenotype and the pathological and biological characteristics of breast cancer patients, and the combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were calculated to evaluate the relationships between CD44+/CD24- and DFS and OS of breast cancer petients using Stata12.0 software.Results: The CD44+/CD24- phenotype were not related to the tumor size (tumor size > 2.0 cm vs ≤ 2.0 cm, combined OR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.68–1.34, p = 0.792) and didn’t promote lymph node metastasis (lymph node metastasis vs. no lymph node metastasis, combined OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.71–1.26, p = 0.692) and distant metastasis (distant metastasis vs no distant metastasis, combined OR = 3.88, 95% CI: 0.93–16.24, p = 0.064). The CD44+/CD24- phenotype was negatively correlated with postoperative DFS (HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.35–2.07, p <0.00001) and OS (combined HR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.21–1.91, p = 0.0004).Conclusion: These results suggested expression of the CD44+/CD24- phenotype can be used as a reliable indicator of clinical prognosis and a potential therapeutic targets in breastcancer patients.
Prognosis assessment of CD44+/CD24- in Breast Cancer Patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
