Prognostic and clinical significance of focal adhesion kinase expression in breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

摘要

BackgroundThe prognostic significance of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in breast cancer remains controversial. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the prognostic value of FAK expression in breast cancer.Materials and methodsPossible prognostic significance of protein or mRNA expression of FAK in breast cancer was investigated with searches of electronic databases for relevant publications. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted from eligible studies.ResultsA total of eight eligible studies which included 2604 participants were analyzed in this meta-analysis. Increased expression of FAK protein was found to significantly correlate with shorter overall survival (OS) (HR?=?1.43, 95% CI: 1.12–1.83;P?=?0.004), and not with disease-free survival (HR?=?1.31, 95% CI: 0.92–1.85;P?=?0.14). Elevated FAK protein expression was also associated with negative estrogen receptor (ER) expression (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.06–1.68;P?=?0.01), negative progesterone receptor (PR) expression (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.22–1.93;P?