Microrna-21 As Prognostic Molecular Signatures In Oral Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Many studies have showed the prognostic value of microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients with oral cancer. However, many of these included a small number of patients. To increase statistical power, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine a pooled conclusion. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the prognostic role of miRNA-21 expression in patients with oral cancer. PubMed, Embase, Web of science and wanfang databases were searched for eligible studies with data assessing the prognostic role of miRNA-21 expression in oral cancer. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. A total of 9 eligible studies comprising 777 patients with oral cancer were included in this meta-analysis. For overall survival, the pooled HR of higher miRNA-21 expression in patients with oral cancer was 1.71 (95% CI 1.20-2.44). After excluding one study causing heterogeneity, the combined HR was 1.93 (95% CI: 1.44-2.59). The pooled HR of higher miRNA-21 expression in patients with oral cancer were 2.65 (95% CI: 1.49-4.73), 2.04 (95% CI: 1.09-3.80) and 2.70 (95% CI: 1.08-6.76) for cancer specific survival and recurrence-free survival, respectively. This is the first rigorous pooled analysis suggested that miRNA-21 is associated with the prognosis of patients with oral cancer, and high expression of miRNA-21 can predict poor prognosis in patients with oral cancer.