SynthesisPloS one2015
Clinicopathological characteristics of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who harbor EML4-ALK fusion gene: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Ventana immunohistochemistry assay for anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangement detection in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis.Thoracic cancer · 2017Pooled it
- Individualized nomogram for predicting ALK rearrangement status in lung adenocarcinoma patients.European radiology · 2021Trial
- Clinical characteristics of ALK-positive NSCLC patients treated with sequential ALK-TKI therapies in a single-centre.Lung cancer management · 2026Article
- Emergence of KRAS mosaicism with multiple variants during treatment with alectinib in ALK-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: A case report.Oncology letters · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Age and smoking intensity in non-small cell lung cancer patients with the anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusion gene.Contemporary oncology (Poznan, Poland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Prognostic value of Beclin 1, EGFR and ALK in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.Discover oncology · 2022Article
- Molecular diagnosis in non-small-cell lung cancer: expert opinion onJournal of clinical pathology · 2022Review
- Real-World Data on the Prevalence of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Middle East and North Africa.JCO global oncology · 2021Article
- Intratumoral Cellular Heterogeneity: Implications for Drug Resistance in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.Cancers · 2021Review
- Exposure-Response Analyses of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Inhibitors Crizotinib and Alectinib in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2021Observational
- Testing forOncoTargets and therapy · 2021Review
- Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance of the EML4-ALK Translocation and IGFR1, TTF1, Napsin A Expression in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma.Turk patoloji dergisi · 2021Article
- Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance ofCancer management and research · 2020Article
- Prognostic significance of anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement in patients with completely resected lung adenocarcinoma.Journal of thoracic disease · 2019Article
- Ceritinib for Untreated Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: An Evidence Review Group Evaluation of a NICE Single Technology Appraisal.PharmacoEconomics · 2019Review
- Clinical Pharmacokinetics of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Inhibitors in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.Clinical pharmacokinetics · 2019Review
- Analysis of the frequency of oncogenic driver mutations and correlation with clinicopathological characteristics in patients with lung adenocarcinoma from Northeastern Switzerland.Diagnostic pathology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA novel fusion gene of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been recently identified in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Patients with the EML4-ALK fusion gene demonstrate unique clinicopathological and physiological characteristics. Here we present a meta-analysis of large-scale studies to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics of NSCLC patients harboring the EML4-ALK fusion gene.
methodsBoth English and Chinese databases were systematically used to search the materials of the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with NSCLC harboring the EML4-ALK fusion gene. Pooled relative risk (RR) estimates and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated with the fixed or random effect model. Publication bias and chi-square test were also calculated.
results27 retrospective studies were included in our meta-analysis. These studies included a total of 6950 patients. The incidence rate of EML4-ALK fusion in NSCLC patients was found to be 6.8% (472/6950). The correlation of the EML4-ALK fusion gene and clinicopathological characteristics of NSCLC patients demonstrated a significant difference in smoking status, histological types, stage, and ethnic characteristics. The positive rate of the EML4-ALK fusion gene expression in females were slightly higher than that in males, but not significantly (P = 0.52). In addition, the EML4-ALK fusion gene was mutually exclusive of the EGFR and KRAS mutation genes (P = 0.00).
conclusionOur pooled analysis revealed that the EML4-ALK fusion gene was observed predominantly in adenocarcinoma, non-smoking and NSCLC patients, especially those diagnosed in the advanced clinical stage of NSCLC. Additionally, the EML4-ALK fusion gene was exclusive of the EGFR and KRAS mutation genes. We surmise that IHC assay is a valuable tool for the prescreening of patients with ALK fusion gene in clinical practice, and FISH assay can be performed as a confirmation method. These insights might be helpful in guiding the appropriate molecular target therapy for NSCLC.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.