This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effects of high c-Met levels in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) on survival and clinicopathological features. Publications concerned with the clinical significance of c-Met protein expression in HNSCC were identified from the Scopus and Web of Science database searches. To elucidate the relationship between c-Met expression and clinical outcomes, a meta-analysis of the selected articles was conducted. Seventeen publications involving a total of 1724 patients met the inclusion criteria. c-Met overexpression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.55-3.10). c-Met immunohistochemical staining positivity was also associated with worse relapse-free survival (HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.24-2.17) and presence of regional lymph node metastases (odds ratio (OR) = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.26-2.45). High levels of c-Met expression in HNSCC predict unfavorable prognosis associated with common clinicopathological features.

1st Faculty of Medicine and BIOCEV Charles University Katerinska 32 121 08 Prague 2 Czech Republic

Department of Pathological Physiology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Physiology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Kamenice 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic

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