Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of nm23-H1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis

Background: The relationship between the expression of nm23-H1 and the invasion and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the prognostic value of nm23-H1 in patients with NSCLC. And to explore the relationship between the expression of nm23-H1 and clinicopathological features in patients with NSCLC. Methods: Literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and WanFang database was performed up to June 14, 2021. Studies on the expression and clinical significance of nm23-H1 in NSCLC were included. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 2 researchers independently screened the literatures, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software (Nordic Cochran Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark). Results: Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria and were finally included for the analysis, involving 2198 participants. Our meta-analysis revealed that nm23-H1 expression was associated with tumor differentiation (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.42-0.70, P < .00001), TNM stage (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.23-2.34, P = .001), and lymph node status (OR = 0.26, 95% CI, 0.17-0.39, P < .00001), but have no associate with sex, age, pathological type, and T stages. Additionally, low nm23-H1 expression reduced the 3-year survival rate (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.54-4.86, P = .0006) and 5-year survival rate (OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.36-5.69, P = .005). Conclusion: Nm23-H1 can be used as a biomarker to predict tumor invasiveness and evaluate the prognosis of patients with NSCLC.

Automated summary

This meta-analysis shows that the expression of Nm23-H1 is associated with tumor differentiation, TNM stage, and lymph node status in NSCLC patients, but not associated with sex, age, pathological type, and T stage. Additionally, low Nm23-H1 expression is correlated with lower 3-year and 5-year survival rates.