LncRNA HCP5 as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for various cancers: a meta‑analysis and bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND: Accumulating studies indicated that dysregulated long non-coding RNA human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) Complex P5 (HCP5) may functions as an potential prognostic predictor in multiple cancers. This meta-analysis was performed to systematically collect studies and conduct an evidence-based evaluation of the prognostic role of HCP5 in malignancies. METHODS: Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane library) were comprehensively retrieved from their initiation date to November 9, 2021. Hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the associations between the expression level of HCP5 and prognosis or clinical characteristics. Moreover, results were validated by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) and the National Genomics Data Center (NGDC). Subsequently, the molecular mechanism of HCP5 was predicted based on MEM and StarBase databases. The study protocol was registered at PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021274208). RESULTS: 9 studies, containing 641 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Our results revealed that HCP5 overexpression was associated with poor overall survival (OS), tumor type, histological differentiation, and lymph node metastasis in most cancers, but was not associated with age, gender and tumor size; down-regulation of HCP5 was associated with worse OS, advanced tumor stage, positive distal metastasis and lymph node metastasis in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). HCP5 was significantly up-regulated in four cancers and down-regulated in SKCM, which was validated by the GEPIA2 cohort. HCP5 expression in various types of cancer was also verified in NGDC. Further functional prediction revealed that HCP5 may participate in some cancer-related pathways. CONCLUSION: There is a significantly association between dysregulation of HCP5 and both prognosis and clinicopathological features in various cancers. HCP5 may be functions as a novel potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in multiple human cancers.