Background: The prognostic value of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in ovarian cancer has been investigated in previous studies, but the results are controversial. Therefore we performed a meta-analysis to systematically review these data and evaluate the value of CTCs in ovarian cancer.
Materials and methods: A literary search for relevant studies was performed on Embase, Medline and Web of Science databases. Then pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for survival with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, meta-regression analyses and publication bias were conducted.
Results: This meta-analysis is based on 11 publications and comprises a total of 1129 patients. The prognostic value of the CTC status was significant in overall survival (OS) (HR, 1.61;95% CI,1.22-2.13) and progression-free survival (PFS)/disease-free survival (DFS) (HR, 1.44; 95%CI, 1.18-1.75). Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that the value of CTC status in OS was significant in "RT-PCR" subgroup (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.34-3.03), whereas it was not significant in "CellSearch" subgroup (HR, 1.15; 95% CI 0.45-2.92) and "other ICC" subgroup (HR, 1.09; 95% CI 0.62-1.90). The presence of CTC was also associated with an increased CA-125 (OR, 4.07; 95%CI, 1.87-8.85).
Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that CTC status is associated with OS and PFS/DFS in ovarian cancer.