Long non-coding RNA HOXA11-AS in human cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Homeobox A11 antisense (HOXA11-AS), a newly identified lncRNA, is up-regulated in various carcinomas. We conducted the present meta-analysis to explore the potential of HOXA11-AS as a common predictive biomarker for metastasis and prognosis in malignant tumors.

METHODS: A systematic literature search on the online electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase was carried out to determine relevant studies (as of July 9, 2017). The pooled hazard ratios (HRs)/odds rates (ORs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the relationship.

RESULTS: A total of 608 patients from seven studies were included in the current meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that high HOXA11-AS expression was related to poor overall survival (OS) (HR=2.02, 95% CI: 1.48-2.75, P<0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR=1.91, 95% CI: 1.15-3.17, P=0.012). Further analyses reveal that patients with high HOXA11-AS expression are prone to develop distant metastasis (DM) (OR=6.05, 95% CI: 1.66-22.06, P=0.006).

CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis showed that increased expression of HOXA11-AS is a risk factor for poor clinical outcomes in numerous tumors and may act as a novel biomarker for poor prognosis and metastasis in cancers.