Is tumor necrosis a clinical prognostic factor in hepato-biliary-pancreatic cancers? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: It has been proven that tumor necrosis is associated with poor prognoses in various solid malignant tumors. However, the prognostic effect of tumor necrosis in hepato-biliary-pancreatic cancers is still unclear. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the associations of tumor necrosis with survival outcomes and clinicopathological features in patients with hepato-biliary-pancreatic cancers. METHODS: Based on the PRISMA statement, eligible studies were identified from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception until January 2023. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated to assess the connection between tumor necrosis and hepato-biliary-pancreatic cancers. We then choose which effects model to use to generate pooled HRs and 95% CIs, depending on data heterogeneity. RESULTS: In total, 6497 articles were identified, 10 of which were included in this meta-analysis. Our results suggested that the presence of tumor necrosis predicted a poorer outcome for overall survival (HR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.35-1.77, p < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.37-2.08, p < 0.001). In addition, tumor necrosis was correlated with larger tumor size, a higher frequency of lymph node metastasis, poorer histologic differentiation, and higher recurrence and metastasis rates. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggests that hepato-biliary-pancreatic cancer patients with tumor necrosis have dismal survival outcomes, and that their tumors have aggressive biological behaviors. Tumor necrosis has the potential to be a promising biomarker for forecasting poor prognosis in these patients.