The prognostic value of cyclin D1 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The correlation between cyclin D1 overexpression and the clinical outcome of head and neck cancer is not defined. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic value of cyclin D1 in patients with head and neck cancer. A search thorough Ovid MEDLINE was performed to enroll all eligible articles. Twenty-two studies comprising a total of 1,929 patients with different head and neck cancers were included. Cyclin D1 overexpression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis OR 2.25; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.76–2.87] and worse disease-free survival (OR 3.06; 95 % CI 2.42–3.87]. Subgroup analysis revealed that cyclin D1 overexpression correlated significantly with nodal metastasis for laryngeal cancer (OR 2.26; 95 % CI 1.61–3.16) and was a significant poor predictor for nasopharyngeal cancer (OR 4.44; 95 % CI 1.89–10.42). Our meta-analysis suggests that cyclin D1 overexpression could represent an important prognostic indicator for patients with head and neck cancer.