Abnormally Expressed Long Non-Coding RNAs in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: a Meta-Analysis

Dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been extensively explored in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) research. The current study focused on elucidating the overall diagnostic and prognostic performances of abnormally expressed lncRNAs in NPC.

We performed a systematic literature search based on the online databases. The pooled effects sizes for diagnosis and prognosis were synthesized using a fixed or random effect model. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for primary endpoints of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were aggregated. Effects of publication bias on overall pooled accuracy were assessed via trim and fill adjustment method.

Thirteen studies comprising 580 cases for diagnosis and 1,400 for prognosis were included. The results showed that abnormally expressed lncRNAs could distinguish NPC from non-cancerous individuals with a pooled sensitivity of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.63 - 0.68), specificity of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80 - 0.86), and AUC (area under the curve) of 0.79. For prognosis, abnormally expressed lncRNAs (high vs. low) were associated with worse survival times in both OS (HR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.97 - 4.21, p = 0.000) and DFS (HR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.56 - 2.90, p = 0.000) in NPC patients. Moreover, stratified analyses manifested that lncRNA transcription level was markedly correlated with TNM classification, clinical stage, and distant metastasis.

Our data evidence that abnormally expressed lncRNAs may be rated as promising biomarkers or indicators for cancer diagnosis and prognosis in NPC.