Potential Value of Visfatin, Omentin-1, Nesfatin-1 and Apelin in Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most lethal genitourinary malignancy. Obesity is a risk factor for RCC development. The role of adipokines in the relationship between obesity and RCC requires confirmatory evidence in the form of a systematic review and meta-analysis, specifically for visfatin, omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin. A search of databases up to July 2022 (PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus) for studies reporting the association of these selected adipokines with RCC was conducted. A total of 13 studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Only visfatin (p < 0.05) and nesfatin-1 (p < 0.05) had a significant association with RCC. Meanwhile, apelin and omentin-1 showed no association with RCC. The meta-analysis results of nesfatin-1 showed no association with early-stage (OR = 0.09, 95% CI = -0.12-0.29, p = 0.41), late-stage (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.07-1.89, p = 0.23) and low-grade (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 0.37-8.27, p = 0.48) RCC. However, nesfatin-1 showed an association with a high grade of the disease (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.13-0.61, p = 0.001) and poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 3.86, 95% CI = 2.18-6.85; p < 0.01). Apelin showed no association with the risk of RCC development (mean difference = 21.15, 95% CI = -23.69-65.99, p = 0.36) and OS (HR = 1.04, 95% Cl = 0.45-2.41; p = 0.92). Although the number of studies evaluated was limited, analysis from this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that visfatin and nesfatin-1 were elevated. In summary, these adipokines may play a role in the development and progression of RCC and hence may have potential diagnostic and prognostic capabilities for RCC.

Automated summary

Renal cell carcinoma is the most lethal genitourinary malignancy, and obesity is a risk factor for its development. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that visfatin and nesfatin-1 showed significant associations with RCC, indicating their potential role in the development and progression of the disease, as well as their potential diagnostic and prognostic capabilities.