Perineural Invasion Is a Significant Indicator of High Malignant Degree and Poor Prognosis in Esophageal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

BackgroundPerineural invasion (PNI) is a malignant metastatic mode of tumors and has been reported in many tumors including esophageal cancer (EC). However, the role of PNI in EC has been reported differently. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to focus on the role of PNI in EC.MethodsEight databases of CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, Scopus, Wiley, ISI, PubMed, and EBSCO are used for literature search. The association of PNI with gender, pathological stages of T and N (pT and pN), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), lymph node metastasis, 5-year overall survival (OS), and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was examined in the meta-analysis by Revman5.0 Software. The pooled OR/HR and 95% CI were used to assess the risk and prognostic value.ResultsSixty-nine published studies were screened for analysis of PNI in EC. The incidence of PNI in esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) was different, but not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The PNI-positive patients had a significantly higher risk of pT stage (OR = 3.85, 95% CI = 2.45–6.05, p < 0.00001), pN stage (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.52–2.28, p < 0.00001), LVI (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.55–3.85, p = 0.0001), and lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.56–5.29, p = 0.0007). Furthermore, the cumulative analysis revealed a significant correlation between PNI and poor OS (HR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.24–1.51, p < 0.0001), as well as poor DFS (HR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.38–1.74, p < 0.0001).ConclusionPNI occurrence is significantly related to tumor stage, LVI, lymph node metastasis, OS, and DFS. These results indicate that PNI can serve as an indicator of high malignant degree and poor prognosis in EC.

Non-coding RNA as future target for diagnose and treatment of perineural invasion in cancers

“…PNI holds considerable significance in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cancer PNI is an established feature in a multitude of cancers, including pancreatic cancer (PCa) with an occurrence rate of 80%-100% [33], salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) ranging from 26%-96% [34], head and neck cancers affecting 25%-80% of cases [35], prostate cancer seen in 7%-90% [36], gastric cancer (GC) in 7%-76% [37], esophageal cancer in 5%-66% [38], and colorectal cancer (CRC) in 9%-39% [9]. Given the high incidence and pivotal role of PNI across these tumor types, it significantly impacts the degree of malignancy and the overall prognosis of the affected patients.…”