Nestin is significantly associated with the overall survival of nonsmall cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis

Aims: Some studies investigated the association between nestin and the overall survival (OS) of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the results were conflicted and inconclusive. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to determine the association between nestin and OS of NSCLC. Materials and Methods: PubMed and EMBASE were searched to find relevant studies. The strength of the association was calculated with the hazard ratios (HRs) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: High expression of nestin was significantly associated with OS of NSCLC (HR = 2.09; 95% CI = 1.59-2.77). In the stratified analysis by race, we found that the expression of nestin was significantly associated with OS of NSCLC in Asians (HR = 3.02; 95% CI = 1.80-5.07) and Caucasians (HR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.21-2.71). In addition, when we limited the meta-analysis to studies that controlled for clinical parameters, a significant association between nestin and OS of NSCLC remained (HR = 2.19; 95% CI = 1.54-3.11). A sensitivity analysis showed no substantial modification of the estimates after exclusion of individual studies. Conclusions: In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that high expression of nestin was significantly associated with OS of NSCLC.