Aim: To provide clarity surrounding the association between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and esophageal cancer prognosis. Materials & methods: Several databases were searched. The meta-analysis was conducted by using software Stata 12.0 and Revman. Results: Sixteen studies were included in this analysis (2292 samples). CD68+ TAM density was not associated with overall survival (OS; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.67-1.15; p = 0.33) and disease-free survival (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 0.66-2.35; p = 0.49). M2-like TAMs were associated with poor overall survival (HR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.10-1.98; p = 0.01), Tumor, Node, Metastasis staging and vessel metastasis. Conclusion: CD68+ TAM density is not associated with esophageal cancer progression, while CD163+ M2-like TAMs is a potential risk factor.
Keywords: TAMs; clinicopathological significance; esophageal cancer; meta-analysis; tumor-associated macrophages.