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. 2015 Jun;4(3):300-9.
doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2218-6751.2015.05.01.

Clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with ROS1 fusion gene in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

Qingqing Zhu  1 , Ping Zhan  1 , Xinlin Zhang  1 , Tangfeng Lv  1 , Yong Song  1
Affiliations

Clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with ROS1 fusion gene in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

Qingqing Zhu et al. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Background: The receptor tyrosine kinase ROS1 is a driver gene in the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with promising target treatment potential. The clinical features of NSCLC patients harboring ROS1 fusion gene were not fully understood due to small-to-modest sample sizes of these association studies.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) from their inception to March 31, 2015. We analyzed the association between ROS1 fusion genes and four common clinical variables, i.e., gender, smoking status, pathological type and clinical stage.

Results: Eighteen studies consisting of 9,898 NSCLC patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results showed that significantly higher rate of ROS1 fusion gene was detected in female NSCLC patients (OR =1.54, 95% CI: 1.02-2.34, P=0.042), patients without a smoking history (OR =3.27, 95% CI: 1.44-7.45, P=0.005), patients with adenocarcinomas NSCLC (OR =10.24, 95% CI: 5.13-20.40, P<0.001), and patients with an advanced clinical stages III-IV (OR =2.57, 95% CI: 1.78-3.71, P<0.001). The pooled prevalence of ROS1 fusion gene was 2.4% (95% CI: 1.8-3.1%) in adenocarcinoma and a significantly lower (0.2%) in non-adenocarcinoma tumors.

Conclusions: ROS1 rearrangement was more prevalent in female patients, patients without a smoking history, patients with adenocarcinoma, and patients on more advanced stages (stages III to IV).

Keywords: ROS1; clinicopathologic features; meta-analysis; non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the study selection in the meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association between ROS1 fusion gene and gender in NSCLC patients. Forest plot of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from each study, subgroup and overall analysis were shown. Subgroup analyses were stratified by ethnicity. NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Association between ROS1 fusion gene and smoking status in NSCLC patients. Forest plot of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from each study, subgroup and overall analysis were shown. Subgroup analyses were stratified by ethnicity. NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Association between ROS1 fusion gene and pathological type in NSCLC patients. Forest plot of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from each study, subgroup and overall analysis were shown. Subgroup analyses were stratified by ethnicity. NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Association between ROS1 fusion gene and clinical stage in NSCLC patients. Forest plot of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from each study, subgroup and overall analysis were shown. Subgroup analyses were stratified by ethnicity. NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Prevalence of ROS1 fusion gene in NSCLC patients with adenocarcinoma. Forest plot of rates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) from each study, subgroup and overall analysis were shown. Subgroup analyses were stratified by ethnicity. NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.
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