Role of cancer stem cell marker CD44 in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), a principal cell surface receptor for hyaluronic acid, has been implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the relationship between CD44 expression and the patients with gastric cancer remains controversial. A meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively review the correlation of CD44 expression with the clinicopathological data of the patients with gastric cancer. We conducted a final analysis of the patients from 18 studies. Combined odds ratios (OR) suggested that CD44 expression was related with stage, tumor size, and LN metastasis of gastric cancer, and CD44v6 was related with LN metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and venous invasion. Our results suggested that CD44 and CD44v6 expression could be used to predict the metastasis of gastric cancer.