Prognostic role of pre-treatment C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis

BMC Cancer

Table 2 Pooled hazard ratios for OS and CSS according to subgroup analyses

Outcome subgroup	Study number	Case number	HR (95%CI)-model	P value	Heterogeneity
Outcome subgroup	Study number	Case number	HR (95%CI)-model	P value	I² (%)	P
OS	8	2255	1.81 (1.40–2.35)-random	< 0.001	55.5	0.028
Country
Japan	4	571	1.98 (1.41–2.77)-fixed	< 0.001	0	0.469
China	4	1684	1.76 (1.19–2.59)-random	0.005	75.9	0.006
Pathological type
Squamous	6	1949	1.73 (1.26–2.38)-random	0.001	65.0	0.014
Multiple	2	306	2.18 (1.40–3.40)-fixed	0.001	0	0.597
Proportion of NAC
100%	1	149	1.15 (0.56–2.69)	0.715
None	3	1261	2.02 (1.13–3.62)-random	< 0.001	80.7	0.006
Others	4	845	1.79 (1.32–2.41)-random	< 0.001	25.5	0.259
Cut-off value
< 0.04	4	1105	1.68 (1.03–2.73)-random	0.037	46.6	0.132
≥ 0.04	4	1150	1.94 (1.41–2.69)-random	< 0.001	59.0	0.063
CSS	2	259	2.61 (1.67–4.06)-fixed	< 0.001	0	0.748

OS overall survival, CSS cancer-specific survival, NAC neoadjuvant chemotherapy, HR hazard ratio, CI confidence interval

ISSN: 1471-2407