Prognostic value of microRNA-125a/b family in patients with gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

AIM: This meta-analysis was designed to reassess the prognostic and clinicopathologic values of the microRNA-125 family in GC patients. BACKGROUND: The miR-125 family (including miR-125a, miR-125b) has been reported as being pivotal prognostic biomarkers of gastric cancer (GC). However, there is controversy about the role of the miR-125 family in predicting the progression of GC. METHODS: The miR-125 family (including miR-125a, miR-125b) has been reported as being pivotal prognostic biomarkers of gastric cancer (GC). However, there is controversy about the role of the miR-125 family in predicting the progression of GC. RESULTS: The electronic databases of PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for relevant studies. Overall survival (OS) rate as the primary outcome from each study was extracted. The overall hazard ratio (HR or survival rate in patients with GC) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to evaluate the association between miR-125 family expression and prognosis and susceptibility to gastric cancer. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottava Scale (NOS). The extracted data was combined based on the random-effects model. CONCLUSION: The low expression of miR-125 family predicts poor OS in GC patients. Thus, the miR-125 family may be helpful as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of gastric cancer.