Abstract
BackgroundEndoglin (ENG, CD105), an auxiliary receptor for several TGF-β superfamily ligands, is constitutively expressed in tumor microvessels. The prognostic value of ENG-assessed microvessel density (MVD) has not been systemically analyzed. This meta-analysis reviews and evaluates the association between ENG expression and prognosis in cancer patients.Materials and MethodsThirty published studies involving in 3613 patients were included after searching of PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were calculated using random-effects models. The publication bias was detected by a Begg’s test and Egger’s test. The outcome stability was verified by sensitivity analysis.ResultsThe high ENG-assessed MVD was significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.62–2.81; P < 0.001), DFS (HR = 3.23, 95% CI 2.10–4.95; P < 0.001), CSS (HR = 3.33, 95% CI 1.32–8.37; P < 0.001). Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed that the association between the overexpression of ENG in tumor microvessels and the outcome endpoints (OS or DFS) were also significant in the Asians and Caucasians patients with different cancer types.ConclusionsENG of tumor microvessels is a predictor of poor OS, DFS and CSS and may be a prognostic marker of patients with cancer.
Highlights
Cancer have become a major public problem worldwide and the second-largest killer in the United States of America with 1,688,780 new cancer cases and 600,920 new deaths in 2017 [1]
The high ENG-assessed microvessel density (MVD) was significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.14, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.62–2.81; P < 0.001), diseasefree survival (DFS) (HR = 3.23, 95% CI 2.10–4.95; P < 0.001), cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 3.33, 95% CI 1.32–8.37; P < 0.001)
Subgroup analysis revealed that the association between the overexpression of ENG in tumor microvessels and the outcome endpoints (OS or DFS) were significant in the Asians and Caucasians patients with different cancer types
Summary
Cancer have become a major public problem worldwide and the second-largest killer in the United States of America with 1,688,780 new cancer cases and 600,920 new deaths in 2017 [1]. Angiogenesis, a hallmark of cancer, is a crucial step for tumor growth and plays an important role in cancer metastasis. The counting of microvessel density (MVD) is one of the most representative methods to quantify angiogenesis in human cancer tissues [3]. This method requires vascular endothelium markers to visualize microvessels detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Endoglin (ENG, CD105), an auxiliary receptor for several TGF-β superfamily ligands, is constitutively expressed in tumor microvessels. The prognostic value of ENG-assessed microvessel density (MVD) has not been systemically analyzed. This meta-analysis reviews and evaluates the association between ENG expression and prognosis in cancer patients
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