Correlation between the overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor and pathological features of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its correlation with pathological features of gastric cancer, so as to provide a theoretical basis for anti-EGFR targeted therapy. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang were used to retrieve literature on EGFR expression and gastric cancer tissues between January 2009 and March 2020 and Stata 15.0 software was used to analyze. Age, gender, degree of differentiation, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and TNM staging were analyzed with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 17 articles were included, with 4,424 patients with gastric cancer, of which 1,268 patients with EGFR overexpression. EGFR was related to the infiltration depth (OR =3.26, 95% CI: 1.95–5.44); related to lymph node metastasis (OR =2.10, 95% CI: 1.45–3.04); related to distant metastasis (OR =1.96, 95% CI: 1.41–2.72); related to TNM staging (OR =3.98, 95% CI: 2.09–7.59). However, EGFR overexpression is not concerned with age, gender and differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR overexpression has the predictive value for depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM staging and distant metastasis of gastric cancer, and may be a predictor of adverse prognosis of gastric cancer. Targeted therapy for EGFR may be considered as one of the means of comprehensive treatment for gastric cancer.