ObjectiveTo explore expression of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) in triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC). Method The published articles about expression of EGFR in TNBC according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria from PubMed, Elsevier-Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were retrieved. The meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total of 8 articles were eligible for the meta-analysis. Among them, 1 006 patients in the TNBC group and 2 945 cases in the non-TNBC group. The result of meta-analysis showed that the positive rate of EGFR expression in the TNBC group was significantly higher than that in the non-TNBC group(OR=6.57, 95% CI 3.42-12.61, P < 0.000 01). The result of race subgroup analysis showed that the positive rate of EGFR expression of TNBC patients in Caucasian(OR=8.93, 95% CI 4.16-19.17, P < 0.000 01) or Xanthoderm(OR=2.79, 95% CI 0.99-7.89, P=0.05) was significantly increased as compared with non-TNBC patients. ConclusionThe positive rate of EGFR expression in TNBC patients is higher than that of non-TNBC patients, which might become an important marker of TNBC and an effective therapeutic target.
ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between abnormal thyroid function and benign or malignant breast tumors. MethodsThe contents of free iodine three original acid (FT3), three iodine original acid (T3), thyroxine (T4), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (Anti-TG), and antithyroid peroxidase antibody (Anti-TPO) were detected by chemiluminescence method in 563 patients with benign breast neoplasms, 87 patients with breast cancer, and 123 health examination population. ResultsT3 and T4 levels in patients with breast cancer were lower than those of normal control group and benign tumor group (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant difference in the levels of FT3, FT4, and TSH between the 3 groups (P > 0.05). The positive rates of Anti-TPO and Anti-TG were higher than those of benign group and normal group (P < 0.001). T3 and T4 levels in patients with breast cancer were not related to the expression of ER and PR, in Her-2 negative expression and lymph node metastasis were relatively low (P < 0.05). ConclusionThe decrease of contents of T3 and T4, and the positive expressions of Anti-TPO and Anti-TG may provide a basis for predicting the incidence of breast cancer.
Meta-analysis of survival data is becoming more and more popular. The data could be extracted from the original literature, such as hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval, the difference of actual frequency and theoretical frequency (O - E) and its standard deviation. The data can be used to calculate the combined HR using Review Manager (RevMan), Stata and R softwares. RevMan software is easy to learn, but there are some limitations. Stata and R software are powerful and flexible, and they are able to draw a variety of graphics, however, they need to be programmed to achieve.
The CONSORT extension for reporting N-of-1 trials (CENT 2015) is designed to guide N-of-1 and series N-of-1 reporting. This study introduced the terminology (period, block or pair, sequence, washout period, and run-in period), the scope, the checklist and the diagram of CENT 2015 and demonstrated the complete guide frame for N-of-1, and thus to provide reference for relevant studies and improve the reporting quality of N-of-1 in China.
The standards for reporting of diagnostic accuracy (STARD) was developed for guiding the reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies. Its newest version was published in 2015. The study mainly introduced the checklist, terminology, and diagram of the STARD 2015. It is hoped that domestic researchers could use the STARD 2015 to guide the implementation and reporting of their diagnostic accuracy studies, so as to improve the reporting quality of diagnostic accuracy studies.