Prognostic Value of Long Non-coding RNAs in Urological Malignancies: A Systematic Review, and Meta-Analysis

Many studies have explored the potential roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in urological cancer (UC) progression. The clinical outcome and prognosis of UCs remain weak. Therefore, finding clinical prognostic markers is needed to improve therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to consider the possible association between the lncRNAs expression with the survival time and clinical outcomes in patients with UC.

A literature search was performed in several related databases to find eligible English papers published before 9 February 2021. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CI were calculated to investigate the association between lncRNAs expression and overall survival in patients with UC.

A total of 46 studies, including 39 lncRNAs were identified. Results indicated that lncRNAs expression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (OS) outcome in patients with UCs (HR: 1.923, 95% CI: 1.448-2.554, P<0.001). Also, we divided included studies into up-regulated and down-regulated subgroups according to lncRNAs expression. The results indicated a significant association with poor OS outcomes in both up-regulated (HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.896-3.41, P<0.001) and down-regulated (HR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.22-0.49, P<0.001). Moreover, expression of lncRNAs was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.13-0.47, P<0.001)

Abnormal expression of various lncRNAs is a potential novel marker for predicting the clinical outcomes of urological tumors.