Abstract
LncRNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) is reportedly dysregulated in various cancers. We performed this meta-analysis to clarify the usefulness of TUG1 as a prognostic marker in malignant tumors. The PubMed, Medline, OVID, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to Jan 11, 2017. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to explore the relationship between TUG1 expression and overall survival (OS). Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to assess the association between TUG1 expression and pathological parameters. Thirteen original studies covering 1,274 cancer patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled HR suggested that high TUG1 expression correlated with poor OS (pooled HR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.01-1.98) in cancer types other than non-small cell lung cancer. TUG1 expression was also related to distant metastasis (OR=3.24, 95% CI: 1.18-8.93), large tumor size (OR=4.07, 95% CI: 1.08-15.28) and advanced tumor stage (OR=3.45, 95% CI: 2.19-5.44). Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test showed no evidence of obvious asymmetry for overall survival or tumor stage. Thus high TUG1 expression appears predictive of poor OS, distant metastasis, advanced tumor stage and large tumor size. This suggests TUG1 expression could serve as a biomarker for poor prognosis in cancers.
Highlights
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1.7 million new cancer cases and 600 thousand cancer deaths are projected to occur in American in 2017 [1]
The pooled Hazard ratios (HRs) suggested that high taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) expression correlated with poor overall survival (OS) in cancer types other than nonsmall cell lung cancer
TUG1 expression was related to distant metastasis (OR=3.24, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.18-8.93), large tumor size (OR=4.07, 95% CI: 1.08-15.28) and advanced tumor stage (OR=3.45, 95% CI: 2.19-5.44)
Summary
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1.7 million new cancer cases and 600 thousand cancer deaths are projected to occur in American in 2017 [1]. Despite recent advances in clinical treatment, cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, owing to delayed diagnosis, poor prognosis, recurrence and development of resistance by cancer cells. Efforts to develop new prognostic markers should be made to help modify clinical application in cancers. According to the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, the transcripts cover 6275% of our genome, among which are mostly noncoding RNAs [3]. Some lncRNAs play a vital role in cancer progression, affecting proliferation, invasion and metastasis [9,10]. This suggests LncRNAs may be a useful marker of cancer prognosis and metastasis [11]
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