title: Prognostic significance of MET amplification and expression in gastric cancer: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  MET, the hepatocyte growth factor receptor, is a receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed and activated in a subset of gastric cancer. Several studies investigated the relationship between MET amplification and expression with the clinical outcome in patients with gastric cancer, but yielded conflicting results. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the influence of MET amplification and expression on prognosis in gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for studies that explored the association between MET amplification and expression with survival in patients with gastric cancer up to 1 April, 2013. Data of individual hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for meta-analyses were extracted from the publications and combined in pooled HRs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen studies involving 2,258 patients with gastric cancer were included. It was suggested that MET overexpression had an unfavorable impact on survival of patients with gastric cancer, with HRs (95% CIs) of 2.57 (95% CI: 1.97-3.35) overall, 2.82 (95% CI: 1.86-4.27) among studies using amplification for measure scale of MET and 2.42 (95% CI: 1.66-3.54) for expression. The magnitude of association was reduced whereas remained statistically significant in high quality studies or in larger sample size studies and corresponding HRs were 2.18(1.76, 2.70) and 2.35(1.93, 2.87), respectively, without significant heterogeneity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings from present study indicated that higher MET gene amplification and expression in gastric cancer was an indicator of poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, the Fourth Clinical Medical College of Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qianqian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yilin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Sai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D005784:Gene Amplification; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000235:genetics*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C491743:MET protein, human; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met