High linc01116 expression may contribute to a poor prognosis in various cancers based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Background: Long non-coding RNA 01116 (linc01116) has been shown to be dysregulated in many tumors, and is closely related to the prognosis. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the correlation between linc01116 expression and cancer prognosis.

Methods: Six electronic databases were searched, and eligible studies were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data including hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), TNM stage, distant metastasis (DM) status, lymph node metastasis (LNM) status, and tumor size were extracted from the included studies. HRs and odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% CIs were separately pooled to assess the relationship between linc01116 expression and cancer prognosis. Sensitivity analysis and Begg's test were performed to assess publication or other biases.

Results: A total of 12 studies involving 809 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Analysis of pooled HRs with 95% CIs showed that high linc01116 expression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.096; 95% CI: 1.555-2.638), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR, 1.9314; 95% CI: 1.020-3.657), disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.067; 95% CI: 1.0889-3.9238), an advanced TNM stage (OR, 1.803; 95% CI: 1.270-2.562), and a poor histological grade (OR, 1.968; 95% CI: 1.288-3.007). However, no significant correlation was observed between linc01116 expression and LNM (OR, 1.198; 95% CI: 0.831-1.728), DM (OR, 1.114; 95% CI: 0.757-1.638), tumor size (OR, 1.336; 95% CI: 0.989-1.804), depth of invasion (OR, 1.375; 95% CI: 0.756-2.501), age (OR, 0.976; 95% CI: 0.742-1.283), or sex (OR, 0.810; 95% CI: 0.599-1.094). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the overall results of OS analysis were reliable and robust. In addition, Begg's test showed that none of the included studies had significant publication bias.

Conclusion: linc01116 is upregulated in most cancers, and this upregulation is associated with a poor prognosis. Therefore, linc01116 serves as a promising therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for cancer.