Prognostic value of lncRNA FEZF1 antisense RNA 1 over-expression in oncologic outcomes of patients with solid tumors

BACKGROUND: FEZ family zinc finger 1 antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1), as a novel lncRNA, was reported to be up-regulated in various cancers and involved in tumor progression. This study systematically assessed the prognostic value of FEZF1-AS1 in solid tumors. METHODS: Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched for eligible studies that evaluated the prognostic role of FEZF1-AS1 expression in cancer patients. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and combined odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata/SE 14.1. RESULTS: Fifteen original studies involving 1378 patients were enrolled. Pooled results showed that increased expression of FEZF1-AS1 significantly correlated with shorter overall survival (OS) in cancer patients (HR 2.04, 95% CI 1.60-2.47), and also shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.27-2.89). Additionally, the combined ORs indicated that increased FEZF1-AS1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (OR 3.35, 95% CI 1.98-5.67), distant metastasis (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.86-5.15), poor tumor differentiation (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.45-5.80), high depth of tumor invasion (OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.36-5.43), and advanced clinical stage (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.75-4.35). Expression analysis using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database indicated that the expression of FEZF1-AS1 was higher in tumor tissues than that in the corresponding normal tissues. The results of survival analysis revealed that increased FEZF1-AS1 expression was correlated with poor OS and DFS in cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA FEZF1-AS1 may serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker for clinical outcomes in various solid tumors.