Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) expression correlates with prognosis in solid cancers: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Metabolic Reprogramming
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is a key enzyme in the Warburg effect, crucial for cancer cell metabolic reprogramming.
• Previous studies on PKM2 expression and cancer prognosis have yielded inconsistent results.
• A comprehensive meta-analysis is needed to clarify the prognostic value of PKM2 in solid tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform a meta-analysis evaluating the prognostic significance of PKM2 expression in solid cancer patients.
• To determine the association between PKM2 levels and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS)/recurrent-free survival (RFS).

Main Methods:

• A meta-analysis was conducted, including 27 studies with a total of 4796 cases.
• Pooled analysis examined the correlation between PKM2 expression and survival outcomes (OS, DFS/PFS/RFS).
• Subgroup analyses were performed based on cancer type, analysis models, sample size, and data collection methods.

Main Results:

• High PKM2 expression was significantly associated with poorer OS (HR = 1.73; 95%CI = 1.48-2.03) and DFS/PFS/RFS (HR = 1.90; 95%CI = 1.39-2.59) across various cancer types.
• The prognostic impact of PKM2 was consistent across different analysis models, sample sizes, and data collection methods.
• Stratified analysis revealed that high PKM2 expression correlated with unfavorable OS in breast, esophageal squamous, hepatocellular, and gallbladder cancers, but not in pancreatic or gastric cancers.

Conclusions:

• Over-expression of PKM2 is linked to poor prognosis in the majority of solid cancers.
• PKM2 holds potential as a predictive biomarker for cancer prognosis in clinical settings.
• Further research may validate PKM2's role in guiding cancer patient management.