Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 as an independent prognostic marker for cancer: a meta-analysis

PLoS One. 2015 May 14;10(5):e0125480. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125480. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Background: Novel biomarkers are of particular interest for predicting cancer prognosis. This study aimed to explore the associations between enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and patient survival in various cancers.

Methods: Relevant literature was retrieved from PubMed and Web of Science databases. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs), odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results: Forty-nine studies (8,050 patients) were included. High EZH2 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall (hazard ratio [HR] 1.74, 95% CI: 1.46-2.07), disease-free (HR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.27-1.99), metastasis-free (HR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.38-3.47), progression-free (HR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.52-4.21), cancer-specific (HR 3.13, 95% CI: 1.70-5.74), and disease-specific (HR 2.29, 95% CI: 1.56-3.35) survival, but not recurrence-free survival (HR 1.38, 95% CI: 0.93-2.06). Moreover, EZH2 expression significantly correlated with distant metastasis (OR 3.25, 95% CI: 1.07-9.87) in esophageal carcinoma; differentiation (OR 3.00, 95% CI: 1.37-6.55) in non-small cell lung cancer; TNM stage (OR 3.18, 95% CI: 2.49-4.08) in renal cell carcinoma; and histological grade (OR 4.50, 95% CI: 3.33-6.09), estrogen receptor status (OR 0.15, 95% CI: 0.11-0.20) and progesterone receptor status (OR 0.30, 95% CI: 0.23-0.39) in breast cancer.

Conclusions: Our results suggested that EZH2 might be an independent prognostic factor for multiple survival measures in different cancers.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Databases, Factual
  • Disease Progression
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Odds Ratio
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 / metabolism*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • EZH2 protein, human
  • Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 2

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Natural Scientific Foundation of Guangdong Province (S2012040007685), Doctoral Program Foundation of Institutions of Higher Education of China (20120171120090), National Natural Science Foundation of China (81301769) and Outstanding Youth Talent Supporting Grand of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University for SZ. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.