Blood vessel invasion as a strong independent prognostic indicator in non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objective

Blood vessel invasion plays a very important role in the progression and metastasis of cancer. However, blood vessel invasion as a prognostic factor for survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between blood vessel invasion and outcome in patients with NSCLC using meta-analysis.

Methods

A meta-analysis of published studies was conducted to investigate the effects of blood vessel invasion on both relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with NSCLC. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to assess the strength of this association.

Results

A total of 16,535 patients from 52 eligible studies were included in th

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3237541 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature