Prognostic value of long non-coding RNA TP73-AS1 expression in different types of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: TP73 antisense RNA 1 (TP73-AS1), a newly discovered long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), has been reported to be upregulated in various kinds of tumors, and shows a variable influence on living quality and prognosis of patients. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the overall prognostic value of the lncRNA TP73-AS1 in cancer patients. Results: A systematic literature retrieval was carried out using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. We calculated the pooled hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the association of TP73-AS1 expression with prognostic and clinicopathological parameters. A total of 15 studies including 1057 cancer patients were finally selected for the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that high TP73-AS1 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.68­2.31, P b 0.001). According to a fixed-effects or random-effects model, elevated TP73-AS1 expression markedly predicted advanced clinical stage (OR = 3.30, 95% CI: 2.35­4.64, P b 0.001), larger tumor size (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.75­3.22, P b 0.001), earlier lymph node metastasis (OR = 3.28, 95% CI: 1.59­6.76, P = 0.001), and distant metastasis (OR = 4.94, 95% CI: 2.61­9.37, P b 0.001). Conclusions: High lncRNA TP73-AS1 expression appears to be predictive of a worse OS and clinicopathologic features for patients with various types of malignant tumors. These results provide a basis for utilizing TP73- AS1 expression as an unfavorable indicator to predict survival outcomes.