Evaluation of expression of UHRF1 and its prognostic and clinicopathological value in human malignancies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background: The mortality and recurrence of patients with cancer is of high prevalence. Ubiquitin-like with plant homeodomain (PHD) and RING finger domains 1 (UHRF1) is a promising nuclear protein gene. There is increasing evidence that UHRF1 is abnormally expressed in various tumors and is associated with cancer prognosis. This study was designed to identify the prognostic value of UHRF1 in human malignancies. Methods: we searched electronic databases up to February 18, 2023, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE, and Web of Science. Eligible studies that evaluated the clinicopathological and prognostic role of UHRF1 in patients with malignant tumors were included. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated to assess the role of UHRF1 using Stata/SE 14.1 software. Results: 10 studies included a total of 1461 patients on cancer patients were incorporated into the present meta-analysis. The combined results revealed that high expression of UHRF1 was significantly associated with unfavorable overall survival (OS) (HR=2.01, 95% CI: 1.23-3.29, P=0.005), worse disease free survival(DFS) (HR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.34-2.60, P=0.0002) in a variety of cancers. In additional, the increase in UHRF1 expression was also closely correlated with poor clinical stage (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.59-3.51), lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.97-4.16), and tumor recurrence (OR = 3.62, 95% CI: 2.30-5.28) in patients with cancer. Furthermore, the expression datasets of UHRF1 in human malignancies and paired normal tissues were downloaded from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA) showed that the expression level of UHRF1 was higher in most tumor tissues than in the corresponding normal tissues, which predicted a worse prognosis.The data analysis in Kaplan-meier Plotter also confirmed that patients with UHRF1 upregulation had a worse prognosis. Conclusions: UHRF1 may actas a valuable prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for patients with cancers.