The Prognostic Value of LncRNA SLNCR1 in Cancers: A Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was performed to identify the prognostic value of SLNCR1 in multiple cancer types. METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Medline, BioMed Central, Springer, Science Direct, and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), were searched for relevant studies up to August 2021, and the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to assess the relationship between SLNCR1 expression and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: 12 studies with a total of 1155 patients with 9 different types of cancers were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled HR indicates that high SLNCR1 expression represented poorer prognosis of cancer (HR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.59–2.80, I(2) = 0%, P < 0.00001). Additionally, high SLNCR1 expression was correlated with TNM stage (odds ratio (OR): 1.72, 95% CI: 1.08–2.74, I(2) = 62%, P=0.02), lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR:2.42, 95% CI: 1.61–3.64, I(2) = 55%, P < 0.0001), and distant metastases (DM) (OR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.50–3.55, I(2) = 27%, P=0.0002). However, no evidence was found for a relationship between SLNCR1 expression and clinical features such as tumor size (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 0.93–3.14, I(2) = 71%, P=0.09), age (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.68–1.08, I(2) = 0%, P=0.19), or gender (OR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.64–1.81, I(2) = 55%, P=0.79). CONCLUSION: Our findings found that high SLNCR1 expression was associated with poor OS, advanced tumor stage, tumor size, LNM, and DM in multiple cancers, indicating that SLNCR1 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for cancer patients in China.