Table 3 Subgroup analyses of HRs for OS and PFS/MFS/RFS/DFS

OS

 Sampling time

  Pretherapy

Jansson, Luo, Xu, Zhu

2.16(0.88–5.3)

Z = 1.69, P = 0.092

64.0%, 0.040

Begg’s Test = 0.734; Egger’s test = 0.261

  Pretherapy^a

Luo, Xu, Zhu

2.98(1.96–4.53)

Z = 2.76, P = 0.006

41.4%, 0.182

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = 0.416

  Posttherapy

Guan(1), Jansson, Qiu, Zhu

2.62 (1.51–4.56)

Z = 3.34, P = 0.001

3.6%, 0.375

Begg’s Test = 0.089; Egger’s test = 0.295

  Posttherapy^a

Guan(1), Qiu, Zhu

3.43(1.38–4.26)

Z = 3.09, P = 0.002

0%, 0.592

Begg’s Test = 0.296; Egger’s test = 0.382

 Treatment method

  Local therapy

Guan(1), Qiu, Xu

1.97(1.13–3.43)

Z = 2.40, P = 0.016

0%, 0.710

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = 0.386

  Systematic therapy

Jansson, Luo, Zhu

3.42(2.21–5.32)

Z = 3.07, P = 0.002

38.1%, 0.199

Begg’s Test = 0.296; Egger’s test = 0.054

 Detection method

  RNA-ISH

Guan(1), Luo, Qiu, Xu

2.55(1.78–3.63)

Z = 5.15, P < 0.001

0%, 0.578

Begg’s Test = 0.308; Egger’s test = 0.021

 Detection system

  CanPatrol

Guan(1), Luo, Qiu,Xu

2.55(1.78–3.63)

Z = 5.15, P < 0.001

0%, 0.578

Begg’s Test = 0.308; Egger’s test = 0.021

 Study type

  Prospective

Jansson, Zhu

11.44 (2.71–48.37)

Z = 3.31, P = 0.001

0%, 0.605

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = /

  Retrospective

Guan(1), Luo, Qiu, Xu

2.55 (1.78–3.63)

Z = 5.15, P < 0.001

0%, 0.578

Begg’s Test = 0.308; Egger’s test = 0.021

PFS/DFS/MFS/RFS

 Sampling time

  Pretherapy

Chen, Guan(2), Jansson, Li, Luo, Wang, Xu, Zhu

1.91 (1.51–2.42)

Z = 5.42, P < 0.001

0%, 0.584

Begg’s Test = 0.386; Egger’s test = 0.019

  Pretherapy^a

Chen, Guan(2), Li, Luo, Wang, Xu, Zhu

2.04(1.60–2.60)

Z = 5.73, P < 0.001

0%, 0.922

Begg’s Test = 0.881; Egger’s test = 0.010

  Posttherapy

Guan(1), Jansson, Wang, Zhu

1.64 (0.89–3.00)

Z = 1.44, P = 0.151

56.4%, 0.0.076

Begg’s Test = 0.734; Egger’s test = 0.301

  Posttherapy^a

Guan(1), Wang, Zhu

1.78 (1.29–2.44)

Z = 2.49, P = 0.013

35.2%, 0.214

Begg’s Test = 0.296; Egger’s test = 0.691

 Treatment method

  Local therapy

Chen, Guan(1),Luo, Wang, Xu

1.95(1.57–2.43)

Z = 5.99, P < 0.001

0%, 0.447

Begg’s Test = 0.086; Egger’s test = 0.430

  Systematic therapy

Guan(2), Jansson, Li, Zhu

1.99(1.24–3.19)

Z = 1.99, P = 0.047

33.0%, 0.214

Begg’s Test = 0.308; Egger’s test = 0.024

 Detection method

  RNA-ISH

Chen, Guan(1), Guan(2), Luo, Qiu, Wang, Xu

1.88(1.50–2.36)

Z = 5.51, P = 0.047

0%, 0.742

Begg’s Test = 0.707; Egger’s test = 0.935

  SE-iFISH

Li, Zhu

2.09 (1.16–3.74)

Z = 2.46, P = 0.014

0%, 0.465

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = /

 Detection system

  CanPatrol

Chen, Guan(1), Guan(2), Luo, Xu

1.91 (1.54–2.38)

Z = 5.86, P < 0.001

0%, 0.770

Begg’s Test = 0.221; Egger’s test = 0.172

  Cytelligen

Li, Zhu

1.86 (1.05–3.29)

Z = 2.14, P = 0.033

0%, 0.465

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = /

 Cancer type

  HCC

Chen, Luo

2.09 (1.51–2.89)

Z = 4.45, P < 0.001

0%, 0.448

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = /

  MBC

Guan(2), Jansson

0.76 (0.05–11.74)

Z = 0.20, P = 0.841

0%, 0.460

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = /

  RCC

Guan(1),Wang

1.60 (1.31–2.26)

Z = 2.63, P = 0.009

0%, 0.454

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = /

 Study type

  Prospective

Guan(2), Jansson, Zhu

1.31 (0.46–3.75)

Z = 0.51, P = 0.609

56.0%, 0.103

Begg’s Test = 0.297; Egger’s test = 0.138

  Retrospective

Chen, Guan(1), Li, Luo, Wang, Xu

1.88 (1.52–2.32)

Z = 5.93, P < 0.001

0%, 0.769

Begg’s Test = 1.000; Egger’s test = 0.046