The roles of ncRNAs in the diagnosis, prognosis and clinicopathological features of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have shown that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in breast cancers. However, the roles of ncRNAs remain unclear in breast cancer. Here, we aim to investigate the potential diagnostic and prognostic roles of ncRNAs in breast cancer. METHODS: Comprehensive literature search in Medline and Web of Science and a meta-analysis were performed to identify the association between ncRNAs and diagnosis, prognosis, and clinicopathological features of breast cancer. RESULTS: A total of 103 eligible studies, involving16, 828 independent participants, were included in the meta-analysis. In total, there were 98 individual and 11 grouped ncRNAs. 51 studies were eligible for survival analysis, 27 studies were eligible for diagnostic analysis, and 46 studies were eligible for clinicopathological features analysis. The abnormal expression of ncRNAs is associated with OS, RFS and PFS in breast cancer patients. For the diagnosis value of ncRNAs, the pooled OR and 95% CI for sensitivity, specificity, DOR and AUC on all ncRNAs were 0.83 [95% CI: 0.82- 0.84], 0.80 [95% CI: 0.79- 0.82], 24.77 [95% CI: 17.44- 35.16] and 0.9037, respectively. The analysis showed that downregulation of ncRNAs in breast cancer was associated with decreased risk of LNM, increased tumor size and PR expression, whereas, upregulation of ncRNAs was associated with increased HER2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of ncRNAs was associated with poor OS, RFS, and PFS, while low expression of ncRNAs was related to favorable OS and RFS. Meanwhile, ncRNAs have potential diagnostic value for breast cancer.