Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the nine included studies
First author /year | Time range | Design | No. of patients (ILNSI/ ILNPI) | Matching itemsa | Method of assessing LN metastasis | N category | Histologic type (WHO) | Clinical stage | Median FU (range), mo. | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Li/2013 [27] | 2005–2012 | RCT | 153/148 | 1, 2, 4, 9 | MRI/CT | N0 | II-III | I-IVa (AJCC 6th) | 39.0 (6.0–84.0) | RCT |
Chen/2014 [26] | 2003–2007 | R | 54/100 | 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | MRI | N1 | I-II | II-IVa (AJCC 7th) | 60.7 (12.2–98.9) | 8 |
Xie/2010 [30] | 2002–2004 | R | 88/117 | 1, 2, 4, 10 | CT/MRI/PET/ CT | N0 | NR | I-Iva (UJCC 6th) | 44.0 (3.0–68.0) | 8 |
Ou/2012 [29] | 2005–2009 | R | 89/30 | 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10 | MRI | N0 | I-II | I-IV (AJCC 6th) | 36.6 (8.1–76.9) | 9 |
Tang/2017 [24] | 2009–2012 | R | 189/357 | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 | MRI | Unilateral neck node metastasis | I-III | II-IV (UICC/AJCC 6th) | 44.9 (1.3–69.2) | 8 |
Zeng/2014 [25] | 2003–2008 | R | 171/99 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10 | MRI/PET/CT | N0 | II-III | NR | 65.1 (4.0–106.0) | 7 |
Li/2005 [31] | 1997–1998 | R | 88/90 | 1, 2, 4, 10 | Palpation | N0 | I | I-Iva (1992 FCSS) | NR | 6 |
Tang/2009 [10] | 2003–2004 | R | 37/101 | NR | MRI | N0 | I-III | I-IV (AJCC 6th) | 43.0 (2.0–59.0) | 6 |
Sun/2012 [28] | 1989–2009 | R | 68/542 | 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10 | Palpation | N0 | I-III | NR | 85.0 (3.0–254.0) | 8 |