Clinicopathological Significance and Diagnostic Accuracy of c-MET Expression by Immunohistochemistry in Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the clinicopathological significance and diagnostic accuracy of immunohistochemistry (IHC) for determining the mesenchymal epidermal transition (c-MET) expression in patients with gastric cancer (GC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present meta-analysis investigated the correlation between c-MET expression as determined by IHC and the clinicopathological parameters in 8,395 GC patients from 37 studies that satisfied the eligibility criteria. In addition, a concordance analysis was performed between c-MET expression as determined by IHC and amplification, and the diagnostic test accuracy was reviewed.

RESULTS

The estimated rate of c-MET overexpression was 0.403 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3270.484) and it was significantly correlated with male patients, poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, higher TNM stage, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity in IHC analysis. There was a significant correlation between c-MET expression and worse overall survival rate (hazard ratio, 1.588; 95% CI, 1.2661.992). The concordance rates between c-MET expression and amplification were 0.967 (95% CI, 0.9160.987) and 0.270 (95% CI, 0.1730.395) for cases with non-overexpressed and overexpressed , respectively. In the diagnostic test accuracy review, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.56 (95% CI, 0.500.63) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.770.81), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The c-MET overexpression as determined by IHC was significantly correlated with aggressive tumor behavior and positive IHC status for HER2 in patients with GC. In addition, the c-MET expression status could be useful in the screening of amplification in patients with GC.