title: Prognostic significance of the EGFR pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prognostic impact of the EGF receptor (EGFR) pathway molecules and assess their clinical usefulness.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a systematic review. Pubmed and EMBASE were searched January 2014. The prognostic relevance of EGFR, JAK, PI3K, PIK3CA, STAT3, STAT5, PTEN, AKT, mTOR, GRB2, SOS, RAF, RAS, MAPK, ERK, MEK and CCND1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma was assessed. The outcomes considered were overall survival, disease-free survival and tumor-node-metastasis stage. Twenty-two studies were included. Risk of bias was evaluated. Meta-analysis for which pooled hazard ratios and 95% CIs were calculated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EGFR overexpression predicts a worse overall survival and disease-free survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but no specific causal pathway molecule could be identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marc L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ooft
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Weibel W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Braunius
authors.affiliation: Dutch Cochrane Center, Julius Center for Health Sciences & Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paulien
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heus
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stegeman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: van Diest
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wilko
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grolman
authors.affiliation: Department of Head & Neck Surgery & Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Charlotte I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Zuur
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stefan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Willems
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors
keywords: EGFR; cancer; epidermal growth factor receptor pathway; meta-analysis; nasopharyngeal cancer; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; outcome; prognosis; review; survival