Clinicopathological and Demographical Characteristics of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with ALK Rearrangements: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ObjectiveThis meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively examine the relationship between the clinicopathological and demographical characteristics and ALK rearrangements in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods and Main FindingsIn total, 62 qualified articles including 1178 ALK rearranged cases from 20541 NSCLC patients were analyzed, and the data were extracted independently by two investigators. NSCLC patients with ALK rearrangements tended to be younger than those without (mean difference: −7.16 years; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): −9.35 to −4.96; PConclusionOur findings demonstrate that ALK rearrangements tended to be present in NSCLC patients with no smoking habit, younger age and tumor stage IV. Moreover, race, age, gender, smoking status, tumor stage and histology might be potential sources of heterogeneity.