Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the impact of VEGF overexpression on prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed on studies reporting overall survival (OS) or clinicopathological parameters to compare the outcomes of EC patients with VEGF overexpression to the outcomes of patients without VEGF overexpression. RESULTS: There was a significantly increased risk for patients with VEGF overexpression to have an advanced stage of the disease (III and IV) with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.14. Additionally, patients with VEGF overexpression had a 2.03-fold increased risk for distant metastasis and shorter OS (HR=1.55). CONCLUSIONS: VEGF overexpression is associated with a more advanced TMN stage and shorter OS in EC patients.