Diagnostic and prognostic values of tsRNAs in lung cancer: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer death in humans. tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA) is a novel biomarker that plays a crucial role in the genesis and development of LC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the value of differentially expressed tsRNA in LC through meta-analysis. Methods PubMed and Web of Science were searched until March 31, 2023. Diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) and area under the curves (AUCs) were used to evaluate the potential of tsRNAs as diagnostic markers for LC. Furthermore, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were used to analyze the association of tsRNAs with LC prognosis. Results A total of 10 studies were included for analysis. Our results indicated that the combined DOR of total tsRNAs in LC diagnosis was 5.45, and AUC was 0.76. Subgroup analysis showed that high expression of tsRNAs in serum had higher diagnostic efficacy (DOR = 15.94, AUC = 0.87). Moreover, high expression of tsRNAs was associated with a worse prognosis in LC patients (HR = 1.59, 95%CI: 1.33–1.90). Conclusion Our findings suggest that high expression of tsRNAs has potential value in the diagnosis and prognosis of LC patients. However, further high-quality studies are needed to validate our results.