Background: Neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated 9 (NEDD9) is considered an important factor in the progression of cancer, acting as a modulator of cellular migration, adhesion, and metastatic potential. Its significance as a prognostic factor, however, remains unclear, which necessitated a comprehensive review and meta-analysis.
Methods: Our study followed the PRISMA guidelines, analyzing studies from major databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane. Our eligibility criteria included studies evaluating NEDD9 expression in relation to cancer prognosis and outcomes such as overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), disease-free Survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS). We used random-effects and fixed-effect models for meta-analysis, and we validated our findings by comparative analysis using data from external cohorts like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).
Results: The analysis of 27 studies with 3915 patients demonstrated a significant relationship between NEDD9 expression and poor OS as indicated by the pooled meta-analysis outcome across all included cancers (HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.38-2.37). A significant effect on PFS/DFS/RFS/CSS was also found (HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.42-3.23). Variations in survival across different types of cancer were indicated by subgroup analysis. NEDD9 expression was correlated with various immune cells across cancer types according to immune infiltration analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis indicated significant interactions involving NEDD9, suggesting mechanisms which influence tumor behavior and response to treatment.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that NEDD9 is a significant prognostic marker in several human cancers. As a result of its central role in cancer progression and prognosis, it presents a promising target for therapeutic interventions. Our study highlights the importance of further research into the biology of NEDD9 and its therapeutic potential.
Keywords: NEDD9 protein; cancer metastasis; gene expression profiling; human; meta-Analysis; oncology; prognostic biomarkers; signal transduction; survival analysis; systematic review; the cancer genome atlas.