Correlation between lung neoplasm and serum level of osteopontin: A meta-analysis

The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the clinical significance of serum osteopontin (OPN) levels in lung neoplasm in patients to establish a novel diagnostic score model. Articles were identified by searching the PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wang Fang databases. Studies identified were pooled, and the standardized mean difference (SMD) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Subgroup analyses and publication bias detection were also conducted. Version 12.0 STATA software was used for statistical analysis. A final analysis of 1,327 subjects together (740 patients with lung neoplasms and 587 controls) was performed from 10 clinical case-control studies. The meta-analysis results showed a positive association between serum OPN levels and lung neoplasm (SMD=5.59, 95% CI: 1.85–3.32, P<0.001). The subgroup analysis by ethnicity detected that high levels of serum OPN may be the main risk factor for lung neoplasms in Asians (SMD=1.76, 95% CI: 1.24–2.29, P<0.001), but not in Caucasians (P=0.072). In conclusion, the present meta-analysis indicated that serum OPN levels were generally elevated in lung neoplasm patients, and thus, serum levels of OPN may be useful in diagnosing lung neoplasm in certain population groups.