Female gender is an independent prognostic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: It is not clear whether women with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) live significantly longer than men. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies to quantitatively compare NSCLC survival data between genders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A MEDLINE Web search for computer-archived bibliographic data regarding overall survival differences between genders was performed. DerSimonian-Laird random effects analysis was used to estimate the pooled hazard ratio (HR). RESULTS: We selected 39 articles as appropriate data sources, involving 86 800 patients including 32 701 women and 54 099 men. Combined HRs for women vs. men in studies using univariate and multivariate analyses respectively were 0.79 (p <0.0001) and 0.78 (p <0.0001). Pooled HRs for 3 study subgroups having (1) fewer than 30% stage I cases, (2) fewer than 50% adenocarcinoma cases, and (3) statistical adjustment for smoking status all indicated the survival advantage of women. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis of published data concerning NSCLC patients indicated significantly better survival for women.