Prognostic Significance of the Metabolic Marker Hexokinase-2 in Various Solid Tumors: A Meta-Analysis

Recently, numerous studies have reported that hexokinase-2 (HK2) is aberrantly expressed in cancer, indicating that HK2 plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of cancer. However, its prognostic significance in solid tumor remains unclear. Accordingly, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic value of HK2 in solid tumor.

Eligible studies were identified using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS)/disease-free survival (DFS)/relapse-free survival (RFS) were estimated with random effects or fixed effects models, respectively. Subgroup analysis was also performed according to patients' ethnicities, tumor types, detection methods, and analysis types.

Data from 21 included studies with 2532 patients were summarized. HK2 overexpression was significantly associated with worse OS (pooled HR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.51-2.38, p < 0.001) and PFS (pooled HR = 2.91, 95% CI = 2.02-4.22, p < 0.001) in solid tumor. As to a specific form of cancer, the negative effect of HK2 on OS was observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (pooled HR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.67-2.54, p < 0.001), gastric cancer (pooled HR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.09-2.71, p = 0.020), colorectal cancer (pooled HR = 2.89, 95% CI = 1.62-5.16, p < 0.001), but not in pancreatic cancer (pooled HR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.28-4.66, p = 0.864). No publication bias was found in the included studies for OS (Begg's test, p = 0.325; Egger's test, p = 0.441).

In this meta-analysis, we identified that elevated HK2 expression was significantly associated with shorter OS and PFS in patients with solid tumor, but the association varies according to cancer type.