The prognostic value of Skp 2 expression level in cancer : a meta-analysis

Purpose: S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) is overexpressed in many types of cancers and might be a potential cancer prognostic biomarker. Several studies reported an association between Skp2 expression level and tumor prognosis; however, the results were inconsistent and inconclusive. The present study is a metaanalysis carried out to assess the association between Skp2 expression and tumor prognosis in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. Methods: Until April 30, 2016, 35 articles were collected, representing 5,514 patients. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association between Skp2 expression and survival outcome and estimated using fixedor random-effects models when appropriate. The statistical significance of the pooled HR was determined by a Z-test. The statistical heterogeneity within studies was detected with the Chi-squared based Q-test and I2 metric. The publication bias was also assessed by Egger’s and Begg’s tests. Sensitivity analysis was also carried out. STATA version 11.0 was used for all statistical analyses. Results: Results suggested that Skp2 overexpression is associated with poor overall survival (OS) and DFS/RFS in all cancer patients as well as in subgroup analysis. Skp2 localized in the cytoplasm was not associated with prognosis. Conclusion: Skp2 might be a predictive and independent marker of cancer prognosis.