Association of the Expression Level of miR-16 with Prognosis of Solid Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis and Bioinformatic Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the expression level of miR-16 and prognosis of solid cancer patients by meta-analysis and bioinformatic analysis. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched until October 31, 2019, to identify eligible studies reporting the association of the miR-16 status with the prognosis of solid cancer patients. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled, and a heterogeneity test was conducted. Sensitivity analysis and a publication bias test were also carried out. Furthermore, the miRpower database was used to validate the association. RESULTS: Thirteen articles with 2303 solid cancer patients were included in the meta-analysis. Solid cancer patients with low expression level of miR-16 had shorter survival time (I(2) = 84.0%, HR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.13-1.91, P = 0.004). In the subgroup analyses of cancer sites, low miR-16 expression level was associated with poor prognosis in the reproductive system cancers (I(2) = 33.3%, HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.06-1.45, P = 0.008). Sensitivity analysis suggested that the pooled HR was stable and omitting a single study did not change the significance of the pooled HR. Begg's test and Egger's test revealed no publication bias in the meta-analysis. In bioinformatic analysis, the significant association between miR-16 level and prognosis of patients with reproductive system cancers was further confirmed (HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.03-1.42, P = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Low expression level of miR-16 is an indicator for poor prognosis of solid cancer patients, particularly in reproductive system cancers.