Characteristics of studies included in the meta-analysis.

*these studies looked back at medical records and did not report the time of follow-up.
Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; CA19-9: carbohydrate antigen 19-9; CEA: carcinoembryonic antigen; CIMP: the CpG island methylator phenotype; CK-19: cytokeratin-19; COX-2: cyclooxygenase-2; CRC: colorectal cancer; DFS, disease-free survival; FASN: fatty acid synthase; HR: hazard ratio; LINE-1: long interspersed nucleotide element-1; MMP-7: matrix metalloproteinase-7; MSI: microsatellite instability; NA: not available; OS: overall survival; pRb: retinoblastoma protein; PRL: prolactin; P-Stat5: phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-5; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; YAP: Yes-associated protein.