The diagnostic and prognostic value of the miR-17-92 cluster in hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis

Previous studies demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as biomarkers in various cancers. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the roles of a miR-17-92 cluster in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, eligible included studies were searched through PubMed, Embase, and Wan Fang databases up to 1st February 2022. Relevant data were extracted from each eligible study to evaluate the relationship between miRNA-17-92 cluster miRNA expression and the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. Finally, a total of 21 studies were pooled and included in the meta-analysis, of which four articles were used for diagnostic meta-analysis and eight articles were used for prognostic meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios (DOR) of the miR17-92 cluster for diagnosis of HCC were 0.75 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64-0.83], 0.73 (95% CI: 0.65-0.79), and 7.87 (95% CI: 5.36-11.54), respectively. Also, the area under the curve (AUC) for the miR-17-92 cluster when diagnosing HCC was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.83). For prognostic analysis, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were extracted from the included studies and pooled HRs were determined to assess the associations. Patients with increased expression of miR17-92 cluster miRNA were associated with poor overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.04-3.33; HR = 4.18, 95% CI: 3.02-5.77, respectively), but not progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.25-0.73), while no association of the miR-17-92 cluster high-expression was detected with disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.21-4.34). In short, current pieces of evidence suggested that the miR-17-92 cluster may serve as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for HCC. However, given the limited study number, larger-size, multi-center, and higher-quality studies are indispensable in the future.

Automated summary

This meta-analysis suggests that the miR-17-92 cluster may serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but further large-scale, multicenter, and high-quality studies are needed for validation.