The prognostic value of long noncoding RNA Sox2ot expression in various cancers: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Several investigations have explored the prognostic value of long noncoding RNA Sox2 overlapping transcript (lncRNA Sox2ot) expression in human cancers, however, with inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic role of lncRNA Sox2ot expression in various cancers. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were comprehensively searched to retrieve relevant studies. The relationships between lncRNA Sox2ot expression and prognostic parameters were detected, including overall survival (OS), tumor differentiation, clinical stage, distant metastasis, lymph node metastasis and so on. Results: A total of 10 studies involving 943 cancer patients were finally included into the study. High lncRNA Sox2ot expression was significantly related to shorter OS in cancers (HR = 2.06, 95%CI = 1.67-2.55, P < 0.01). The cancer patients with high lncRNA Sox2ot expression tended to have worse tumor differentiation (P = 0.04), advanced clinical stage (P < 0.01), earlier distant metastasis (P < 0.01), and earlier lymph node metastasis (P = 0.01) compared to those with low lncRNA Sox2ot expression. However, there was no distinct correlation between lncRNA Sox2ot expression and age (P = 0.87), gender (P = 0.48), tumor size (P = 0.08), or vascular invasion (P = 0.07). Conclusion: High lncRNA Sox2ot expression was significantly associated with worse OS, advanced clinical stage, worse tumor differentiation, earlier distant metastasis, and earlier lymph node metastasis in various cancers. LncRNA Sox2ot expression might a promising prognostic factor in various cancers.