ABSTRACT
To assess the association between hypoxic inducible factor-2alpha [HIF- alpha] and hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] by meta-analysis. This study was carried out at Anhui Province Hospital, Hefei, Anhui, China in February 2014. We searched various databases for studies published in English or Chinese up to February 28, 2014. The hazard ratio for overall survival and analyzed odds ratio were combined to evaluate the clinicopathological features of HIF-2 alpha expression in HCC. A total of 7 eligible studies comprising 1066 patients with HCC were identified after our full assessment according to inclusion criteria. All of the patients came from China. The results indicated that the association between HIF-2 alpha expression and prognostic values in HCC was inconspicuous, while the expression of HIF-2 alpha was significantly associated with capsule infiltration, vein invasion, and histological grade. Expression of HIF-2 alpha was associated with invasion and metastasis in HCC, but did not have a distinct significance in prognosis, according to the limited evidence. However, high quality, large sample size, and controlled trials are required