AUTHOR=Lu Fang , Zhao Xianghong , Zhang Zhongqiu , Xiong Mengqiu , Wang Ying , Sun Yalan , He Bangshun , Zhu Junrong 

TITLE=The diagnostic and prognostic value of the miR-17-92 cluster in hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.927079

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2022.927079

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=Previous studies demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as biomarkers in various cancers. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the roles of miR-17-92 cluster in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, eligible included studies were searched through PubMed, Embase, and Wan Fang databases up to 1th February, 2022. Relevant data were extracted from each eligible study to evaluate the relationship between miRNA-17-92 cluster miRNAs expression and the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. Finally, a total of 21 studies were pooled and included in the meta-analysis, of which four articles were used for diagnostic meta-analysis and eight articles were used for prognostic meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) of miR17-92 cluster for diagnosis of HCC were 0.75 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64-0.83), 0.73 (95% CI: 0.65-0.79), and 7.87 (95% CI: 5.36-11.54), respectively. And the area under the curve (AUC) for miR-17-92 cluster when diagnosing HCC was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.83). For prognostic analysis, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were extracted from the included studies, and pooled HRs were determined to assess associations. Patients with increased expression of miR17-92 cluster miRNA were associated with poor over survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.04-3.33, HR=4.18, 95% CI: 3.02-5.77, respectively), but not progression-free survival (PFS) (HR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.25-0.73). While, no association of miR-17-92 cluster high-expression was detected with disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.21-4.34). In short, current evidences suggested that the miR-17-92 cluster may be served as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for HCC. However, given the limited study number, larger-size, multi-center and higher-quality studies are indispensable in the future.