Low Expression of LncRNA Cancer Susceptibility Candidate 2 and its Clinical Significance in Cancer Tissues

Background/Aims: Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) is downregulated in various cancers and involved in both tumorigenesis and progression. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of lncRNA CASC2 in cancer patients. Methods: We searched the Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang database to identify studies evaluating the prognostic value of lncRNA CASC2 in cancer patients. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed-effects/random-effects models. Results: A total of eight studies were included. The combined results showed that lncRNA CASC2 was significantly associated with decreased overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.37, 95% CI, 0.27–0.46, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses further indicated that low expression of lncRNA CASC2 predicted decreased OS in cancer patients. Additionally, low CASC2 expression levels in cancer tissues appeared to be correlated with advanced clinical staging (OR = 3.32, 95% CI, 2.29–4.80, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Low CASC2 expression appears to be predictive of poor OS and advanced tumor stage in multiple cancers. CASC2 expression may serve as unfavorable prognostic factor for clinical outcomes in cancer patients.