Background: We performed this meta-analysis to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the role of MicroRNA-210 (miR-210) expression on the overall survival (OS) rate of cancers.
Methods: We searched for relevant available literatures on miR-210 and cancer until November 1st, 2016 on the databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct database. We calculated the pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for OS, which compared the high and low expression levels of miR-210 in patients of the available studies. Subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the specific role of miR-210 in ethnicity and the type of cancers. Publication bias was evaluated using Begg funnel plots and Egger regression test.
Results: Overall, 19 studies were involved in this meta-analysis. The result indicated that upregulated miR-210 might be associated with poor OS outcome in various carcinomas, with the pooled HR of 1.80 (95% CI: 1.29-2.51). When stratified by disease, significant results were detected in breast cancer (HR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.24-5.76) and glioma (HR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.32-4.43). Besides, in the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant results were detected only in Asian populations (HR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.37-3.34).
Conclusion: The present meta-analysis suggests that high expressed miR-210 is significantly associated with OS in cancer patients, which has the potential to be a prognostic marker in cancers.