AUTHOR=Bai Shaoxiong , Guo Jiansheng , Zhang Haofan 

TITLE=A meta-analysis of the clinicopathological significance of the lncRNA MALAT1 in human gastric cancer

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1257120

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2023.1257120

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Dysregulation of the long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) has been linked to some oncogenic pathways that induce cancer initiation and progression. This meta-analysis was conducted to specifically summarize the most recent research on MALAT1 function in human gastric cancer (GC).</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>The eligible studies were first identified by searching HowNet, Web of Science, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, and <italic>Nature</italic> databases for studies published as of April 1, 2023. The meta-analysis included 14 studies assessing MALAT1 expression and presenting clinical parameters and survival outcomes.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The results illustrated that high MALAT1 expression is predictive of lymph node metastasis (pooled odds ratio [OR] = 2.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.97–4.54, P &lt; 0.001) and distant metastasis in GC (OR = 3.11, 95% CI = 1.68–5.75, P &lt; 0.001). In addition, MALAT1 was associated with GC tumor invasion (T<sub>3</sub>/T<sub>4</sub> vs. T<sub>1</sub>/T<sub>2</sub>: OR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.90- 4.41, P &lt;0.001) and TNM stage (III/IV vs I/II: OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.80-4.77, P &lt;0.001). Additionally, higher MALAT-1 expression predicted poorer overall survival in patients with GC (hazard ratio = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.20–2.09, P &lt; 0.001).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>The current findings suggest that the high MALAT1 expression is an adverse biomarker for prognostic outcomes, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and distant metastasis in GC and MALAT1 could be a prognostic biomarker for GC. </p></sec>