Table 1 The main characteristics and quality scores of the included studies
From: Prognostic significance of occult lymph node metastases in breast cancer: a meta-analysis
Author (reference) | Year | PA | No. of patient | Stage | % AST | FU, y | Survival, % (OM vs pN0) | NOS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OM | pN0 | OM | pN0 | 5-y DFS | 5-y OS | 10-y DFS | 10-y OS | ||||||
Fisher ER [20] | 1978 | SS (20 μm), H&E | 19 | 59 | I | 0 | 0 | 5.1 a* | 71 vs 68 | – | – | – | 8 |
Rosen PP [21] | 1982 | SS (48 μm), H&E | 9 | 19 | I | 0 | 0 | NR | 89 vs 69 | – | 61 vs 62 | – | 7 |
Wilkinson E [22] | 1982 | SS (24–48 μm), H&E | 89 | 436 | NR | 0 | 0 | 5 min | – | 82 vs 80 | – | 64 vs 70 | 7 |
IBCSG [15] (no peri-op CT) | 1990 | SS (48 μm), H&E (6 levels) | 55 | 555 | I-II | 0 | 0 | 5 med | 61 vs 76 | – | – | – | 9 |
IBCSG [15] (peri-op CT) | 1990 | SS (48 μm), H&E (6 levels) | 30 | 283 | I-II | 100 | 100 | 5 med | 54 vs 68 | – | – | – | 9 |
Gelea MH [4] | 1991 | H&E + IHC (2 levels) | 9 | 89 | I-IIA | 0 | 0 | NR | – | 100vs74 | – | 65 vs 62 | 7 |
de Mascarel [23] | 1992 | SS (1500 μm), H&E (1 level) | 120 | 785 | I-III | 0 | 0 | 6.9 med | 80 vs 88 | 89 vs 95 | 43 vs 78 | 61 vs 86 | 8 |
Elson CE [24] | 1993 | IHC (2 levels) | 20 | 77 | NR | 0 | 0 | 5.7 a* | 69 vs 71 | 83 vs 91 | – | – | 7 |
Hainworth PJ [25] | 1993 | IHC (1 level) | 41 | 302 | I-III | 0 | 0 | 6.6 med | 68 vs 84 | 87 vs 85 | – | – | 9 |
Nasser IA [26] (< 0.2 mm) | 1993 | SS (150 μm), H&E (5 levels) + IHC (1 level) | 31 | 109 | NR | 0 | 0 | 11 a* | 93 vs 81 | – | 78 vs 68 | – | 7 |
Nasser IA [26] (>  0.2 mm) | 1993 | SS (150 μm) H&E (5 levels) + IHC (1 level) | 19 | 109 | NR | 0 | 0 | 11 a* | 62 vs 81 | – | 51 vs 68 | – | 7 |
Tsuchiya A [27] | 1996 | IHC (3 levels) | 3 | 182 | NR | NR | NR | NR | 100 vs 91 | – | – | – | 7 |
Clare SE [28] | 1997 | SS (150 μm) H&E + IHC (5 levels) | 11 | 75 | NR | 0 | 0 | 6.7 med | 71 vs 84 | 90 vs 95 | – | – | 7 |
Gerber B [29] | 1997 | H&E + IHC (2–6 levels) | 18 | 141 | I-IIA | 68 | 100 | 4.3 a | 70 vs 86 | – | – | – | 8 |
Cote RJ [30] | 1999 | IHC (1 level) | 148 | 588 | I-II | NR | NR | 12 med | 69 vs 74 | – | 55 vs 63 | 73 vs 78 | 8 |
Braun S [11] | 2001 | IHC (3 levels) | 13 | 137 | I-II | 0 | 0 | 4 med | 91 vs 83 | 91 vs 95 | – | – | 8 |
Cummings MC [31] | 2002 | SS (100 μm) H&E + IHC (4 levels) | 53 | 150 | NR | NR | NR | 10.3 med | 67 vs 86 | 83 vs 93 | 67 vs 82 | 75 vs 87 | 8 |
de Mascarel [32] (IDC) | 2002 | SS (1500 μm) H&E + IHC (1 level) | 13 | 116 | NR | 0 | 0 | 24 med | 84 vs 94 | – | 67 vs 89 | – | 8 |
de Mascarel [32](ILC) | 2002 | SS (1500 μm) H&E + IHC (1 level) | 37 | 52 | NR | 0 | 0 | 18 med | 91 vs 94 | – | 85 vs 87 | – | 8 |
Fisher ER [33] | 2002 | IHC (of original H&E) | 63 | 213 | I-II | 100 | 100 | 9a* | – | 88 vs 93 | – | 89 vs 87 | 8 |
Millis RR [6] (ITC) | 2002 | HE&IHC (1 level) | 23 | 417 | NR | 0 | 0 | 13.2 (OM) 18.9 (pN0) med | – | 83 vs 87 | – | 69 vs 77 | 8 |
Millis RR [6] (mi) | 2002 | HE&IHC (1 level) | 57 | 417 | NR | 0 | 0 | 13.2 (OM) 18.9 (pN0) med | – | 84 vs 87 | – | 78 vs 77 | 8 |
Umekita Y [13] | 2002 | IHC | 21 | 127 | NR | 100 | 100 | 8.2 med | 75 vs 95 | 86 vs 99 | – | – | 8 |
Gebauer G [34] | 2003 | examination SS (H&E 6 levels), followed by H&E + IHC (2 levels) | 14 | 198 | NR | 0 | 0 | NR | 86 vs 88 | 85 vs 91 | 66 vs 84 | 72 vs 76 | 8 |
Reed W [7](ITC) | 2004 | IHC (1 level) | 21 | 340 | I-IIA | 0 | 0 | 25.6 med | – | 81 vs 91 | 75 vs 78 | 74 vs 84 | 8 |
Reed W [7] (mi) | 2004 | IHC (1 level) | 16 | 340 | I-IIA | 0 | 0 | 25.6 med | – | 80 vs 91 | 75 vs 78 | 75 vs 84 | 8 |
Kahn HJ [35] | 2006 | IHC (1 level) | 29 | 175 | NR | NR | NR | 8 med | 70 vs 77 | 89 vs 87 | 67 vs 69 | 79 vs 72 | 8 |
Marinho VF [36] | 2006 | IHC | 26 | 162 | NR | NR | NR | 6.8 med | 82 vs 90 | 78 vs 89 | 78 vs 78 | 69 vs 79 | 8 |
Querzoli P [12] (ITC) | 2006 | SS (100 μm) H&E (4 levels) + IHC (3 levels) | 24 | 328 | I-II | 33.3 | 27 | 8 med | 83 vs 95 | – | – | – | 8 |
Querzoli P [12] (mi) | 2006 | SS (100 μm) H&E (4 levels) + IHC (3 levels) | 25 | 328 | I-II | 33.3 | 27 | 8 med | 93 vs 95 | – | – | – | 8 |
Tan LK [8] (ITC) | 2008 | SS (50 μm) H&E + IHC (2 levels) | 61 | 285 | NR | 0 | 0 | 17.6 med | 77 vs 88 | 87 vs 92 | 68 vs 83 | 70 vs 80 | 8 |
Tan LK [8] (mi) | 2008 | SS (50 μm) H&E + IHC (2 levels) | 17 | 285 | NR | 0 | 0 | 17.6 med | 59 vs 88 | 94 vs 92 | 41 vs 83 | 59 vs 80 | 8 |
Loya A [10] | 2009 | H&E (1 level) + IHC (3 levels) | 8 | 43 | II-III | 100 | 100 | 5.25 med | 100 vs 88 | 100vs95 | 100 vs 88 | 100 vs 95 | 8 |
Park D [9] (ITC) | 2009 | SS (100 μm) H&E (2 levels) + IHC (10 levels) | 53 | 200 | NR | 11.2 | 7.2 | 8.2 med | 91 vs 94 | – | – | – | 8 |
Park D [9] (mi) | 2009 | SS (100 μm) H&E (2 levels) + IHC (10 levels) | 31 | 200 | NR | 11.2 | 7.2 | 8.2 med | 83 vs 94 |  |  |  | 8 |
Weaver DL [14] | 2011 | SS (500–1000 μm) H&E + IHC | 616 | 3268 | NR | NR | NR | 7.9 med | 86 vs 89 | 95 vs 96 | – | – | 8 |
Charles WK [37] (ITC) | 2015 | IHC | 4657 | 81,693 | I-IV | NR | NR | 3.1med | – | 92 vs 92 | – | – | 9 |
Charles WK [37] (mi) | 2015 | IHC | 6720 | 81,693 | I-IV | NR | NR | 3.1med | – | 88 vs 92 | – | – | 9 |