Ki-67 is a widely used marker of tumor proliferation, but the prognostic value of Ki-67 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still controversial. The aim of present meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between Ki-67 expression and survival in TNBC patients receiving neo-adjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy.
Relevant literatures were identified from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Cochrane Library, up to March 14, 2018. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated as effect values, and heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis and publication bias analyses were also performed.
35 studies enrolling 7716 patients were eligible for inclusion. Data on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were available from 25 and 29 studies, respectively. The pooled results showed that high Ki-67 expression was significantly associated with poor DFS (HR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.45–2.07, p < 0.001) and OS (HR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.27–2.14, p < 0.001) compared with low Ki-67 expression in TNBC. Similar results were observed on subgroup analysis by Ki-67 or ER/PR cut-off value, treatment strategies, or districts.
High Ki-67 was a poor prognostic factor for TNBC who received neo-adjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy.
Wen Li.
Has not received any funding.
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.