Prognostic and Clinicopathological Significance of Survivin Expression in Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Previous studies have elevated the prognostic value of survivin in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). To increase statistical power and improve translation, we systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase to identify relevant studies until December 2015 and conducted a standard meta-analysis. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 12 studies, including 2051 patients, were eligible for further analysis. Results showed that high survivin expression in RCC was associated with poor OS (HR = 2.84, 95% CI 1.68–4.79), CSS (HR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.41–3.95), and PFS (HR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.58–3.08). Survivin expression was also correlated with TNM stage (RR = 2.75, 95% CI 2.21–3.44), pathological T stage (RR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.75–2.75), lymph node metastasis (RR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.61–3.25), distant metastasis (RR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.16–2.08), Fuhrman grade (RR = 2.81, 95% CI 2.29–3.45), tumor size (RR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.24–1.78). Our study suggested that survivin was a prognostic marker in RCC. High survivin expression was correlated with poor prognosis and more advanced clinicopathological features, and it could serve as a biomarker for disease management.