Table 2 Subgroup analysis for the main potential confounding factors with random effects model

Overall

18

4.67

2.65 to 8.21

73.99

77.00%

Age ≤ 65

9

5.03

2.53 to 10.0

27.96

71.40%

Age > 65

3

0.91

0.57 to 1.41

2.21

9.400%

< 0.0001

Stage I > 49.5%

5

4.11

1.90 to 8.91

12.76

68.60%

Stage I ≤ 49.5%

4

2.81

0.87 to 9.09

19.42

84.60%

0.5944

M2F ≤ 69%

6

5.98

2.04 to 17.53

16.66

70.00%

M2F > 69%

6

2.13

0.99 to 4.55

29.05

82.80%

0.1246

MSP

8

5.16

2.01 to 13.26

44.61

84.30%

qMSP

10

4.32

2.08 to 8.94

29.28

69.30%

0.7685

Diagnose

13

6.79

2.99 to 15.44

59.54

79.80%

Non-diagnose

5

2.59

1.33 to 5.05

11.56

65.40%

0.0745

Multiple targets

15

4.08

2.28 to 7.34

62.99

77.80%

Single target

3

18.72

1.23 to 283

9.03

77.80%

0.2836

Heterogeneous

12

8.33

3.77 to 18.39

35.71

69.20%

Autogenous

6

2.25

1.06 to 4.77

27.19

81.60%

0.0187

Serum

5

11.54

2.87 to 46.40

10.4

61.50%

Tissue

13

3.72

2.03 to 6.78

55.18

78.30%

0.14

Ad2Sc < 2

9

2.46

1.35 to 4.48

35.79

77.00%

Ad2Sc > = 2

2

17.1

4.68 to 62.7

0.11

0.000%

0.0077

Primer set I

5

5.41

2.43 to 12.04

13.71

70.80%

Primer set II

4

1.82

1.05 to 3.13

4.57

34.30%

0.0137 ^a