Published online Sep 20, 2022. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v12.i5.448
Peer-review started: October 28, 2021
First decision: December 27, 2021
Revised: December 30, 2021
Accepted: July 18, 2022
Article in press: July 18, 2022
Published online: September 20, 2022
Processing time: 323 Days and 1.4 Hours
Microvessel density (MVD) has been proposed as a direct quantification method of tumor neovascularization. However, the current literature regarding the role of MVD in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) remains inconclusive.
To appraise the effect of tumoral MVD on the survival of patients with DTC.
This meta-analysis was based on the PRISMA guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The electronic databases Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus were systematically screened. A fixed-effects or random-effects model was used, according to the Cochran Q test. The data were then extracted and assessed on the basis of the Reference Citation Analysis (https://www.referencecitationanalysis.com/).
A total of nine studies were included in the present study. Superiority of low MVD tumors in terms of 10-year disease free survival (OR: 0.21, 95%CI: 0.08–0.53) was recorded. Lowly vascularized thyroid cancers had a lower recurrence rate (OR: 13.66, 95%CI: 3.03–61.48). Moreover, relapsing tumors [weighed mean difference (WMD): 11.92, 95%CI: 6.32–17.52] or malignancies with regional lymph node involvement (WMD: 8.53, 95%CI: 0.04–17.02) presented with higher tumoral MVD values.
MVD significantly correlates with the survival outcomes of thyroid cancer patients. However, considering several study limitations, further prospective studies of higher methodological and quality level are required.
Core Tip: This systematic review is the first meta-analysis investigating the effect of tumoral vascularity, through microvessel density (MVD) assessment, on the survival of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Higher intratumoral MVD values were associated with inferior disease-free survival outcomes.