|
|
Background: Serum-lactate dehydrogenase (S-LDH) is reported to be associated with poor survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, the results are inconsistent. The aim of the study was to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of S-LDH in patients with NPC.
Methods: PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies, and the fixed-effects model was employed to pool the hazard risks (HRs) from individual studies when no substantial heterogeneity was detected; otherwise, the random-effects model was used. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also analyzed.
Results: A total of 18 studies involving 13,789 patients were included in the meta-analysis, serum LDH level was associated with worse outcome in NPC patients. The combined HR for overall survival (OS) was 1.86 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.66 - 2.08; p < 0.01), and the pooled HRs for disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasisfree survival (DMFS), and distant local relapse-free survival (LRFS) were 1.64 (95% CI: 1.45 - 1.86), 2.64 (95% CI: 2.15 - 3.25), and 2.59 (95% CI: 1.74 - 3.87), respectively.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that higher serum LDH level is associated with worse survival in patients with NPC, which is helpful for a personalized treatment strategy for NPC patients.
DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2017.170323
|
