Endoglin (CD105) as a putative prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer: a systematic review

The outcome of colorectal cancer (CRC) can be improved by the identification of prognostic biomarkers. This systematic review of observational cohort and case-control studies was conducted to investigate the role of Endoglin (CD105) in the prognosis of CRC. The databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched to identify the qualified studies using the relevant keywords. After the removal of duplicate articles, the screening was implemented on the titles, abstracts, and potential full-text articles. Afterward, the eligible cohort and case-control studies were identified, and the data were extracted into an Excel datasheet. In total, 11 observational cohort studies and 1 case-control study were identified to be eligible for this systematic review. The majority of the included studies achieved a moderate to high-degree quality according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Moreover, the eligible studies included a total of 1,400 patients with CRC and mean age of 60 years, the majority of whom were male. Endoglin was observed to be more upregulated in colorectal carcinomas and associated with poor survival outcomes, compared to healthy controls. The levels of Endoglin seem to reflect the degree of cancer invasiveness, therefore predicting dismal prognosis in patients with CRC. Larger and well-designed clinical studies with longer follow-up intervals are needed to investigate the role of Endoglin and its association with cancer metastasis.