Association of the intermediate filament nestin with cancer stage: a meta-analysis based on 223 positive/high nestin cases and 460 negative/low case-free controls

BACKGROUND: Nestin, a member of the intermediate filament protein family, has been reported to be associated with several types of neoplastic transformation. However, questions remain, with studies reporting sometimes inconclusive or conflicting data. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate literature reports on the relationship between nestin and cancer stage. METHODS: Relevant articles published as of June 2014 were retrieved from multiple databases. After applying specific inclusion criteria, we chose seven articles relating to nestin expression and cancer stage, which included a total of 223 positive/high nestin cases and 460 negative/low case-free controls. RESULTS: Overall, positive/high nestin was significantly associated with median or advanced stages of several types of cancer (nestin and cancer stage: OR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.30–2.78; nestin and lymph node: OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.26–3.72). Notably, studies relating to lung cancer (three qualifying articles) showed a significant association between nestin and lung cancer stage (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.16–3.44). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that positive/high nestin may be more strongly linked to median or advanced cancer stage and correlated with malignant characteristics that lead to poor prognosis in different cancers, especially lung cancer.