Prognostic significance of A-kinase interacting protein 1 expression in various cancers: A meta-analysis based on the Chinese population

BACKGROUND: Cumulative evidence suggests that A-kinase interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) plays an important role in tumor progression. However, the prognostic value of AKIP1 expression in various cancers remains unclear. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of AKIP1 expression in patients with cancer. METHODS: The PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were systematically searched to identify studies in which the effect of AKIP1 expression on prognosis (overall survival or disease-free survival) was investigated. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were combined to assess the effect of AKIP1 expression on patient survival. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were pooled to estimate the association between AKIP1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with cancer. RESULTS: Nineteen eligible studies, encompassing 3979 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. AKIP1 expression was negatively associated with overall survival (HR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.58–2.18, P < .001) and disease-free survival (HR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.53–1.87, P < .001) in patients with cancer. Moreover, AKIP1 overexpression was positively correlated with adverse clinicopathological features, such as tumor size (OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.67–2.94, P < .001), clinical stage (OR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.45–2.90, P < .001), depth of tumor invasion (OR = 2.98, 95% CI: 2.21–4.02, P < .001), and degree of lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.75–2.57, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: High AKIP1 expression is an unfavorable prognostic biomarker and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in patients with cancer.