Prognostic value of the miR-200 family in bladder cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of high expression of the miR-200 family of microRNAs in bladder cancer. METHODS: Studies on the correlation between the miR-200 family and prognosis in patients with bladder cancer were searched in databases. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated based on HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Cochranes Q test and the I(2) statistic were utilized to assess heterogeneity across the included studies. Potential publication bias was analyzed by Begg and Egger tests. The meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 and Stata SE12.0. RESULTS: Data from a total of 1150 patients from 8 studies were extracted. The meta-analysis revealed that high expression of the miR-200 family was correlated with better OS (pooled hazard ratio: 0.50, 95% confidence interval: 0.40–0.62), CSS (pooled hazard ratio: 0.36, 95% confidence interval: 0.22–0.59) and RFS (pooled hazard ratio: 0.48, 95% confidence interval: 0.36–0.65). Both Begg test and Egger test verified no publication bias within the included cohorts. CONCLUSION: The high expression of the miR-200 family is strongly associated with better prognosis in bladder cancer patients, which will improve bladder cancer management in clinical practice.