Abstract
BackgroundA number of studies have shown that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in breast cancers. However, the roles of ncRNAs remain unclear in breast cancer. Here, we aim to investigate the potential diagnostic and prognostic roles of ncRNAs in breast cancer.MethodsComprehensive literature search in Medline and Web of Science and a meta-analysis were performed to identify the association between ncRNAs and diagnosis, prognosis, and clinicopathological features of breast cancer.ResultsA total of 103 eligible studies, involving16, 828 independent participants, were included in the meta-analysis. In total, there were 98 individual and 11 grouped ncRNAs. 51 studies were eligible for survival analysis, 27 studies were eligible for diagnostic analysis, and 46 studies were eligible for clinicopathological features analysis. The abnormal expression of ncRNAs is associated with OS, RFS and PFS in breast cancer patients. For the diagnosis value of ncRNAs, the pooled OR and 95% CI for sensitivity, specificity, DOR and AUC on all ncRNAs were 0.83 [95% CI: 0.82- 0.84], 0.80 [95% CI: 0.79- 0.82], 24.77 [95% CI: 17.44- 35.16] and 0.9037, respectively. The analysis showed that downregulation of ncRNAs in breast cancer was associated with decreased risk of LNM, increased tumor size and PR expression, whereas, upregulation of ncRNAs was associated with increased HER2 expression.ConclusionsHigh expression of ncRNAs was associated with poor OS, RFS, and PFS, while low expression of ncRNAs was related to favorable OS and RFS. Meanwhile, ncRNAs have potential diagnostic value for breast cancer.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women
There were 98 individual and 11 grouped noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). 51 studies were eligible for survival analysis, 27 studies were eligible for diagnostic analysis, and 46 studies were eligible for clinicopathological features analysis
The abnormal expression of ncRNAs is associated with overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression/event/disease-free survival (PFS) in breast cancer patients
Summary
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improve survival rate and quality of life of breast cancer patients [1]. Because the primary breast cancers often lack typical clinical manifestations, many patients have been in advanced stage at the time of diagnosis [2]. Yu et al found that down-regulation of miR-129-5p induced EMT in breast cancer cells and is associated www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget with poor prognosis [5]. Whether or not and how ncRNAs could be used in diagnosing and predicting prognosis of breast cancer patients remain to be determined. Systematic review and meta-analysis of data from individual studies can help to evaluate the potential clinical value of ncRNAs. This study aimed to assess the association between ncRNAs (miRNAs and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)) and prognosis, diagnosis, and clinicopathological features of breast cancer. We aim to investigate the potential diagnostic and prognostic roles of ncRNAs in breast cancer
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