High expression of Bcl 2 protein predicts favorable outcome in non small cell lung cancer: evidence from a systematic review and meta analysis.
BACKGROUND The prognostic value of Bcl 2 protein expression in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is under debate. We therefore systematically reviewed the evidence for Bcl 2 protein effects on NSCLC survival to elucidate this issue. MATERIALS AND METHODS An electronic search in Pubmed and Embase complemented by manual searches in article references were conducted to identify eligible studies to evaluate the association between Bcl 2 protein expression and overall survival (OS) as well as disease free survival (DFS) of NSCLC patients. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were pooled using the random effects model. RESULTS A total of 50 trials (including 52 cohorts) encompassing 7,765 patients were pooled in the meta analysis regarding Bcl 2 expression and OS of NSCLC patients. High expression of Bcl 2 protein had a favorable impact (HR=0.76, 95%CI=0.67 0.86) In the group of Bcl 2 expression and DFS, 11 studies including 2,634 patients were included. The synthesized result indicated high expression of Bcl 2 protein might predict good DFS (HR=0.85, 95%CI=0.75 0.95) CONCLUSIONS Our present meta analysis demonstrated favorable prognostic values of Bcl 2 expression in patients with NSCLC. Further prospective trails are welcomed to validate the utility of assessing Bcl 2 in NSCLC patient management.
Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention APJCP