Abstract
BackgroundAberrations in the expression of the transcription factor forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) have been linked to a number of malignancies. Here, we characterized the relationship between FOXC1 and cancer progression by conducting a meta-analysis of studies that reported the frequency of FOXC1 expression in tumors of different stages (T1, T2, T3, T4).Materials and MethodRelevant articles were retrieved from the Medline database by searching for the terms “FOXC1” and “cancer”; then, the retrieved articles were reviewed individually, and studies that were of multivariate cohort design, evaluated FOXC1 expression via immunohistochemical staining, and assessed the relationship between FOXC1 expression and cancer T-stage were included in our meta-analysis.ResultsOur search terms identified 128 studies, 5 of which met all inclusion criteria. A total of 850 tumor samples were evaluated in the 5 studies; 452 samples were from early-stage (T1-T2) tumors, and 398 were from late-stage (T3-T4) tumors. FOXC1 was expressed in 60.7% (516/850) of all samples, in 54.6% (247/452) of early-stage tumor samples, and in 67.5% (269/398) of late-stage tumor samples. When calculated relative to early-stage samples, the pooled risk for FOXC1 expression in late-stage samples was 1.238 (95% CI = 1.061–1.444, p = 0.007).ConclusionsThe results from our meta-analysis of 5 studies indicate that FOXC1 is 23.8% more likely to be expressed in late-stage tumors than in early-stage tumors.
Highlights
Cancer can arise via the accumulation of single or multiple genetic mutations, which cause the cancer cells to proliferate without restriction: the molecular and genetic cascades involved in tumor formation and cancer progression are largely unknown
A total of 850 tumor samples were evaluated in the 5 studies; 452 samples were from early-stage (T1-T2) tumors, and 398 were from late-stage (T3-T4) tumors
The results from our meta-analysis of 5 studies indicate that forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) is 23.8% more likely to be expressed in late-stage tumors than in early-stage tumors
Summary
Cancer can arise via the accumulation of single or multiple genetic mutations, which cause the cancer cells to proliferate without restriction: the molecular and genetic cascades involved in tumor formation and cancer progression are largely unknown. FOXC1 is expressed in breast cancer subtypes such as basal-like breast cancer (BLBC), and in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), endometrial cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) [8,9,10,11,12]. Increased FOXC1 expression appears to be linked to more aggressive cancer phenotypes in BLBC, HCC, HL, and NHL [8,9,10,11,12]. Aberrations in the expression of the transcription factor forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) have been linked to a number of malignancies. We characterized the relationship between FOXC1 and cancer progression by conducting a metaanalysis of studies that reported the frequency of FOXC1 expression in tumors of different stages (T1, T2, T3, T4)
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