The prognostic value of lncRNA SNHG1 in cancer patients: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence revealed that high expression level of lncRNA SNHG1 was associated with the unfavorable prognosis of cancer and maybe used as a valuable biomarker for cancer patients. The present meta->analysis is to analyze existing data to reveal potential clinical application of SNHG1 on cancer prognosis and tumor progression. All of the included studies were collected through a variety of retrieval strategies. And the articles were qualified by MOOSE and PRISMA checklists. METHODS: Up to Mar 20, 2018, literature collection was performed by comprehensive search through electronic databases, including the Cochrane library, PubMed, Embase, Web of science, Springer, Science direct, and three Chinese databases: CNKI, Weipu, and Wanfang. We analyzed 14 studies that met the criteria, and concluded that the increased SHNG1 level was correlated with poor OS and tumor progression. RESULTS: The combined results indicated that elevated SNHG1 expression level was significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.69–2.52, P < 0.01) and PFS (HR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.69–4.55, P < 0.01) in various cancers. Moreover, the promoted SNHG1 expression was also associated with tumor progression ((III/IV vs. I/II: HR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.53–2.34, P < 0.01). In stratified analyses, a significantly unfavorable association of elevated lncRNA SNHG1 and OS was observed in both digestive system (HR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.56–2.68, P < 0.01) and non-digestive system (HR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.55–2.83, P < 0.01) cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis indicated that the increased SNHG1 is associated with poor OS in patients with general tumors and may be served as a useful prognostic biomarker. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-019-5987-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.