title: Prognostic value of endocan expression in cancers: evidence from meta-analysis.
abstract: Endocan is a 50 kDa dermatan sulfate proteoglycan. Numerous previous studies have indicated that endocan might be an attractive prognostic tumor biomarker. However, the results of different studies are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association between endocan expression and cancer prognosis. A systematic, comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was performed. Expression of endocan and its association with overall survival were evaluated by pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In total, 15 eligible studies of 1,464 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. A significant association was found between elevated endocan expression and poorer overall survival (pooled HR: 2.48, 95% CI: 2.12-2.90,P<0.001). In the cancer-type subgroup, significant associations were detected for gastrointestinal (HR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.77-2.91,P<0.001) and hepatocellular (HR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.96-3.48,P<0.001) carcinoma. Our results demonstrate that endocan could be useful to exploit as a novel prognostic biomarker for patients with cancer.
authors: Department of Pathology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital.
authors: Xing
authors: X
authors: Huang
authors: Second Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University.
authors: Chen
authors: C
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Pathology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital.
authors: Jing-Yuan
authors: JY
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Bin-Hui
authors: BH
authors: Ren
authors: Department of Pathology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital.
authors: Da-Wei
authors: DW
authors: Ma
authors: Department of Pathology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital.
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Xia
authors: Department of Pathology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital.
authors: Xin-Yu
authors: XY
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors: Lin
authors: L
authors: Xu
keywords: ESM-1; biomarker; cancer; endocan; meta-analysis; prognosis