The Prognostic Value of lncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 on Clinical Outcomes in Various Cancers: A Meta- and Bioinformatics Analysis

BACKGROUND: MCM3AP antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) is a newly identified potential tumor biomarker. Nevertheless, the prognostic value of MCM3AP-AS1 in cancer has been inconsistent in the available studies. We performed this meta-analysis to identify the prognostic role of MCM3AP-AS1 in various cancers. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases to screen relevant studies. Hazard ratios (HR) or odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate the relationship between aberrant MCM3AP-AS1 expression and survival and clinicopathological features (CFS) of cancer patients. A meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. Additionally, results were validated by an online database based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Subsequently, we analyzed the MCM3AP-AS1-related genes and molecular mechanisms based on the MEM database. RESULTS: Our results showed that overexpression of MCM3AP-AS1 was related to poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.00, 95% CI, 1.52–2.64, P < 0.001) and relapse-free survival (RFS) (HR = 3.28, 95% CI 1.56–6.88, P = 0.002). In addition, MCM3AP-AS1 overexpression was associated with TNM stage, differentiation grade, and lymph node metastasis, but not significantly with age, gender, and tumor size. In addition, MCM3AP-AS1 overexpression was verified by the GEPIA online database to be associated with poorer survival. The further functional investigation suggested that MCM3AP-AS1 may be involved in several cancer-related pathways. CONCLUSIONS: The overexpression of MCM3AP-AS1 was related to poor survival and CFS. MCM3AP-AS1 may be considered a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target in various cancers.