Prognostic value of CD146 in solid tumor: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

CD146, also known as melanoma cell adhesion molecule, was initially identified as a marker of melanoma progression and metastasis. Recently many clinical studies investigated overexpression of CD146 predict poor prognosis of solid tumor, however, the results was inconclusive, partly due to small numbers of patients included. This present meta-analysis was therefore performed utilizing the results of all clinical studies concerned to determine the prognostic value of CD146 expression in solid tumors. Relevant articles were identified through searching the PubMed, Web of Science and Embase database. In this meta-analysis, 12 studies involving 2,694 participants were included, and we drew the conclusion that strong significant associations between CD146 expression and all endpoints: overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.496, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.115–2.946], time to progression (TTP) (HR = 2.445, 95% CI 1.975–3.027). Furthermore, the subgroup analysis revealed that the associations between CD146 overexpression and the outcome endpoints (OS or TTP) were significant in Mongoloid patients and Caucasian patients, as well in patients with lung cancer and digestive system cancer. In conclusion, these results showed that high CD146 was associated with poor survival in human solid tumors. CD146 may be a valuable prognosis predictive biomarker; nevertheless, whether CD146 could be a potential therapeutic target in human solid tumors needs to be further studied.