Prognostic Value of NOX4 Expression in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) is related to cancer development, proliferation, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and metastasis. The prognostic value of NOX4 expression although has been reported in various cancers, it remains unclear as several studies have reported conflicting results. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to systematically investigate the prognostic value of NOX4 expression in cancer patients. METHOD: Appropriate studies were collected by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases, and the prognostic value of NOX4 expression in cancer patients was assessed through a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Nine eligible studies involving 2675 cancer patients were included in this meta-analysis. We found that NOX4 expression is related to prognosis in cancer patients. In particular, high expression of NOX4 was significantly associated with overall survival in patients with gastrointestinal cancer (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.83, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–2.42, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: NOX4 expression is significantly correlated with overall survival in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, indicating that it could be a potential prognostic marker.