title: Prognostic significance of c-Met in breast cancer: a meta-analysis of 6010 cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognostic value of c-Met in breast cancer remains controversial. A meta-analysis of the impact of c-Met in breast cancer was performed by searching published data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Published studies analyzing overall survival (OS) or relapse free survival (RFS) according to c-Met expression were searched. The principal outcome measures were hazard ratios (HRs) for RFS or OS according to c-Met expression. Combined HRs were calculated using fixed- or random- effects models according to the heterogeneity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one studies involving 6,010 patients met our selection criteria. The impact of c-Met on RFS and OS was investigated in 12 and 17 studies, respectively. The meta-analysis results showed that c-Met overexpression significantly predicted poor RFS and OS in unselected breast cancer. Subgroup analysis indicated that c-Met overexpression was correlated with poor RFS and OS in Western patients, but was not associated with RFS or OS in Asian patients. C-Met was associated with poor OS in lymph node negative breast cancer and with poor RFS in hormone-receptor positive and triple negative breast cancer, but was not associated with prognosis in human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 positive breast cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  C-Met overexpression is an adverse prognostic marker in breast cancer, except among Asian and HER-2 positive patients.
  The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1869780799156041.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, China. yanshunchao666@163.com.
authors.forename: Shunchao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenyang Chest Hospital, Shenyang, 110044, China. jiaoxin1980@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, China. zouhw0@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Huawei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, China. lik@sj-hospital.org.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000032:analysis*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D015854:Up-Regulation; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human