Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of kinesin family member C1 in various cancers: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1), a C-type kinesin motor protein, plays important roles in centrosome assembly and intracellular transport. Numerous studies have focused on the prognostic value of KIFC1 in malignant tumors and the relationship between KIFC1 expression and clinicopathological traits of cancer patients, but the studies remain controversial. And no meta-analysis has yet shown the association between KIFC1 and various cancers. METHODS: Systematic retrieval was carried out within several databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). In addition, hazard ratios (HR) and relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to examine the risk or hazard correlation by Stata SE15.1. RESULTS: Eleven studies with the overall 2424 participants were included in this research. High KIFC1 expression was remarkably correlated with worse OS (HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.07–1.60) and poorer relapse-free survival (HR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.75–2.80). In subgroup analysis, high KIFC1 expression was a negative predictor for OS in patients with ovarian cancer (P < .001), breast cancer (P < .001), hepatocellular carcinoma (P < .001), and non-small cell lung cancer (P < .001), but not for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (P = .246). Moreover, high levels of KIFC1 were related with positive lymph node metastasis (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.01–1.50, P = .041) and advanced tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (RR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.27–1.89, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: KIFC1 overexpression indicates poor prognosis and more serious clinicopathological characteristics in kinds of malignancies. Thus, we conclude that KIFC1 could be a target for clinical diagnosis and treatment of various cancers.