title: Clinicopathological Significance and Diagnostic Accuracy of c-MET Expression by Immunohistochemistry in Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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).
  
  
  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 andc-METamplification, and the diagnostic test accuracy was reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The estimated rate of c-MET overexpression was 0.403 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.327~0.484) 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, 1.266~1.992). The concordance rates between c-MET expression andc-METamplification were 0.967 (95% CI, 0.916~0.987) and 0.270 (95% CI, 0.173~0.395) for cases with non-overexpressed and overexpressedc-MET, respectively. In the diagnostic test accuracy review, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.56 (95% CI, 0.50~0.63) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.77~0.81), 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 ofc-METamplification in patients with GC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pyo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Guhyun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunjin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
keywords: Diagnostic test accuracy review; Immunohistochemistry; Meta-analysis; Stomach neoplasms; c-MET