Prognostic significance of LncRNA GHET1 expression in various cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Dysregulated expression of long non-coding RNA gastric carcinoma high expressed transcript 1 (lncRNA GHET1) has been observed in several cancers, however, definite conclusion on the prognostic value of lncRNA GHET1 expression in human cancers has not been determined. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic significance of lncRNA GHET1 expression in cancers. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were comprehensively searched for relevant studies. Meta-analyses of overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological features were conducted. Results: Ten studies were finally analyzed in the present study. High lncRNA GHET1 expression was associated with shorter OS than low lncRNA GHET1 expression in cancers (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.93–3.47, P<0.01). Online cross-validation using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data observed similar results (HR = 1.10, P<0.05). When compared with low lncRNA GHET1 expression, high lncRNA GHET1 expression was related to larger tumor size (P<0.01), worse differentiation (P<0.01), earlier distant metastasis (P=0.02), earlier lymph node metastasis (P<0.01) and more advanced clinical stage (P<0.01). Conclusion: High lncRNA GHET1 expression is associated with worse cancer prognosis and can serve as a promising prognostic factor of human cancers.