Frontiers in Physiology (Nov 2018)

Association Between c-Myc and Colorectal Cancer Prognosis: A Meta-Analysis

  • Wei-Ling He,
  • Xiang-Tao Weng,
  • Jue-Lian Wang,
  • Yong-Kai Lin,
  • Tian-Wen Liu,
  • Qian-Yi Zhou,
  • Yue Hu,
  • Yunbao Pan,
  • Xin-Lin Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01549
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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Background: There is debate as to whether c-Myc predicts prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aimed to review the association between c-Myc and CRC prognosis.Methods: Pertinent studies were identified by searching electronic databases and carefully reviewing the reference lists of pertinent studies until March 2016. The summary hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to study the association between c-Myc and CRC prognosis.Results: Eight cohort studies (including seven studies about overall survival [OS] and one study about disease free survival [DFS]) were included. The pooled HR of OS was 1.13 (95% CI: 0.66–1.95). In subgroup analysis, no significant association between c-Myc and CRC prognosis was found in the studies either from Western countries (HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.68–1.10) or Asian countries (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 0.62–5.77). HRs were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.38–1.94) and 1.57 (95% CI: 0.73–3.39) for the studies using univariate analysis and multivariate analysis, respectively. HR from the studies that examined DNA level was significantly different (HR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.22–3.46); while that about RNA level or protein level was not significantly different.Conclusion: c-Myc was not associated with CRC prognosis in this meta-analysis. However, the conclusion is preliminary and should be examined in future studies.

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