Aims The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess statistically the impact of patient-level, operative, and tumour characteristics on overall survival of patients undergoing curative resection for oesophageal cancer. Introduction Oesophageal cancer is staged using the American Joint Comission on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. Numerous other prognostically important histopathological and demographic characteristics have been reported. Methods This systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines and eligible studies were identified through a search of PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane CENTRAL databases up to 31st December 2018. A meta-analysis was conducted with the use of random-effects modelling to determine pooled univariable hazard ratios (HRs) and prospectively registered with the PROSPERO database (Registration CRD42018130732). Results One-hundred and sixty-six articles including 70,299 patients were assessed quantitatively. Of the 122 factors associated with survival, 39 were significant on pooled analysis. Of these the strongly associated prognostic factors were T stage (HR: 2.07, CI95%: 1.77 - 2.43, p Conclusion Several tumour biological variables not included in the AJCC 8th edition classification can impact on overall survival. These require incorporation into prognostic models to ensure a personalised approach to prognostication and treatment.