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. 2018 Jan;8(1):159-169.
doi: 10.3892/mco.2017.1492. Epub 2017 Nov 8.

MicroRNA-23a/24-2/27a as a potential diagnostic biomarker for cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jing Quan  1   2 , Suyue Liu  1   3 , Kangfu Dai  1   4 , Lu Jin  1   2 , Tao He  1   5 , Xiang Pan  1   2 , Yongqing Lai  1
Affiliations

MicroRNA-23a/24-2/27a as a potential diagnostic biomarker for cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jing Quan et al. Mol Clin Oncol. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have proven that microRNAs play an important role in the occurrence, development and prognosis of various types of cancer. As a vital gene cluster, the microRNA (miR)-23a/24-2/27a cluster may be an important marker for predicting cancer prognosis and tumor progression. A search was conducted through PubMed, Medline and the Cochrane Library to identify studies investigating the association between the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster and cancer, and the identified related studies were included in the present meta-analysis. The strength of the association was assessed by hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI). A total of 21 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The results indicated that a high level of miR-23a exerted a significant effect on overall survival (OS) (HR=2.33, 95% CI: 1.18-4.58; P=0.014), but not on disease-free survival (DFS)/recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR=1.13, 95% CI: 0.37-3.44; P=0.836). There was an obvious statistically significant association between OS and the expression of miR-24 (HR=2.49, 95% CI: 1.84-3.37; P=0.000), particularly in the digestive system (pooled HR=2.99, 95% CI: 2.17-4.13, P=0.000). In addition, the result suggested a statistically significant association between the expression of miR-27a and OS (pooled HR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.32-2.69; P=0.001), as well as DFS/RFS/progression-free survival (HR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.29-3.70; P=0.003), particularly in renal cell carcinoma (HR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.16-4.67; P=0.017). A subgroup analysis by ethnicity, cancer type and statistical methodology was performed. There was no obvious publication bias. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster may be a useful marker for predicting cancer prognosis and tumor progression.

Keywords: cancer; meta-analysis; microRNA-23a/24-2/27a.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of the identification and selection of studies. OS, overall survival; DFS, disease-free survival; PFS, progression-free survival; CSS, cancer-specific survival; RFS, recurrence-free survival.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Forest plots on the association of overall survival with (A) miR-23a, (B) miR-24 and (C) miR-27a. miR, microRNA; HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Forest plots on the association of disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival/progression-free survival with (A) miR-23a, (B) miR-24 and (C) miR-27a. HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Begg's funnel plots of publication bias test. (A) Association of overall survival (OS) with miR-23a; (B) Association of disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival (DFS/RFS) with miR-23a; (C) Association of OS with miR-24; (D) Association of DFS/RFS with miR-24; (E) Association of OS with miR-27a; (F) Association of DFS/RFS/progression-free survival with miR-27a.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Sensitivity analysis. Meta-analysis estimates, given named study is omitted. (A) Effect of individual studies on the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for overall survival (OS) associated with miR-23a expression; (B) effect of individual studies on the pooled HR for OS associated with miR-24 expression; (C) effect of individual studies on the pooled HR for OS associated with miR-27a expression. CI, confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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