Expression of tripartite motif‑containing 44 and its prognostic and clinicopathological value in human malignancies:a meta-analysis
Abstract Background: Previous researches have reported that tripartite motif-containing 44 (TRIM44) is related to the prognosis of multiple human tumors. This study was designed to systematically assess the prognostic value of TRIM44 in human malignancies and to describe its possible mechanisms of oncogenesis. Methods: The available databases worldwide were searched for eligible studies that evaluated the clinicopathological and prognostic roles of TRIM44 in patients with malignancies.The hazard ratio (HR) and combined odds ratios (ORs) were combined to assess the predictive role of TRIM44 using Stata/SE 14.1 software. Results: A total of 1,740 patients from thirteen original studies were finally included in this study . The results of the combined analysis showed that over-expression of TRIM44 was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival (OS) in cancer patients (HR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.65–2.83) as well as worse disease-free survival (DFS) (HR= 2.13 (95% CI 1.45–3.11). Additionally, the combined ORs indicated that elevated TRIM44 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.71–4.24), distant metastasis (OR=10.35, 95% CI: 1.01-106.24), poor tumor differentiation (OR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.03–3.09), increased depth of tumor invasion (OR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.73–4.30), advanced clinical stage (OR=2.75, 95% CI: 2.04-3.71), and recurrence (OR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.34–3.95). Analysis of expression using Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) indicated that the expression of TRIM44 was higher in most tumor tissues than in the corresponding normal tissues.Survival analysis indicated high levels of TRIM44 mRNA were associated with unfavorable OS and DFS in various malignancies. Conclusions: TRIM44 may serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for patients with malignancies.