High Expression Of MiR-21 Predicts Poor Survival Of Patients With Esophageal Cancer: A Meta-analysis

Objective:MicroRNAs are involved inthe onset, progression and dissemination of esophageal cancer, and theymay be useful as prognostic biomarkers. This study aims to evaluate the relation of miR-21 expression and the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients. Methods: In this study, a meta-analysis is performed by searching PubMed, Science Direct databases, and Cochrane Library. Data are extracted from studies evaluating survival of esophageal cancer patients with either high or low miR-21 expression. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are calculated. Results: A total of 579 cases of esophageal cancer from five studies are involved for this global meta-analysis. The HR of survival of patients with high miR-21 expression is 1.47 (95% CI: 1.12?1.91; p<0.01) as compared with those with low expression. Conclusions: miR-21 may be a predictorfor survival of esophageal cancer patients.