Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of long non-coding RNA in glioma

Growing evidence from recent studies have revealed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) might be a useful prognostic biomarker for glioma; we therefore conducted the current meta-analysis to evaluate prognostic and clinicopathological predictive value of lncRNA expression for glioma patients. Eligible studies were identified through multiple research strategies in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to May 2017. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were utilized to calculate patient’s survival. Fourteen eligible studies with 1415 patients were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis showed a significant association between high lncRNA expression level and OS in glioma patients (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.68–2.58, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore the potential heterogeneity. As for clinicopathological parameters, lncRNA expression was significantly associated with tumor diameter (< 3 vs ≥ 3 cm, OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.27–0.56, P < 0.001; < 5 vs ≥ 5 cm, OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.92, P = 0.02), tumor grade (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.13–0.34, P < 0.001), and Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.54–4.11, P < 0.001). LncRNA may serve as a biomarker for prognosis and clinicopathological features in glioma patients.