Calpain Small Subunit 1 Protein in the Prognosis of Cancer Survivors and Its Clinicopathological Correlation

Background/Aims. Calpain small subunit 1 (Capn4) is implicated in tumorigenesis and plays a key role in multiple tumors. This study aimed to fully illustrate the prognostic value of Capn4 protein in cancer patients. Methods. A systematic search was conducted against several online databases. Hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratio (ORs) were used to investigate the relationship between Capn4 protein expression and prognosis as well as clinical parameters in cancer survivors. Results. Eleven studies involving 1775 patients were identified. Overall, the results showed that Capn4 protein was associated with poor prognosis of overall survival (OS) (HR=1.74; 95% CI:1.47-2.01; p<0.001) and event-free survival (EFS) (HR=1.73; 95% CI:1.39-2.07; p<0.001) in various cancers. And expression of Capn4 protein was related to depth of invasion (OR= 4.17; 95% CI: 1.42-12.27; p=0.01), venous invasion (OR=2.34; 95% CI: 1.07-5.13; p=0.03), lymph node metastasis (2.74; 95% CI: 1.98-3.79; p<0.001), distant metastasis (OR=4.02; 95% CI: 2.14-7.57; p<0.001), and clinical stage (OR=2.87; 95% CI: 1.94-4.26; p<0.001), whereas expression of the Capn4 protein was not associated with gender (OR=1.09; 95% CI: 0.86-1.39; p=0.47) and tumor differentiation (OR=1.16; 95% CI: 0.90-2.23; p=0.25). Conclusions. Expression of Capn4 protein is associated with cancer survival and clinicopathologic characteristics in patients.