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Meta-analysis and systematic review of prognostic significance of Glypican-3 in patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma

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Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant cancer and the second cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is established as an important prognostic factor for HCC but the results are still controversial. Moreover, its utility as an immunohistochemical marker for HCC is not conclusive. Herein we aimed to find the prognostic significance of GPC3 in HCC patients. The PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Cochrane library databases were searched and eligible studies based on the GPC3 expression and survival outcome of HCC (odds ratios or hazard ratios) included in the current meta-analysis. The STATA 12.0 and RevMan 5.3 software were used for statistical evaluations. 17 articles contained 2618 patients, were included in the recent meta-analysis. Our findings revealed a significant association between tumor stage, higher tumor grade, presence of vascular invasion, shorter overall survival, shorter disease-free survival and high expression of GPC3. The subgroup analyses based on sample size, cutoffs and follow-up period were also conducted to examine the association between GPC3 and OS and also to increase the homogeneity of study. Current study found a significant association between GPC3 expression and poor prognosis of HCC and specially related to the HCC invasion and progression. It was recommended to design more prospective studies based on the relationship between GPC3 and HCC to confirm our results.

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Abbreviations

GPC3 :

Glypican-3

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

HR:

Hazard ratio

DFS:

Disease-free survival

OS:

Overall survival

OR:

Odds ratio

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Acknowledgements

This study was done according to a Dissertation Grant (Ph.D. Thesis of BM #7262, IR.ZAUMS.REC.1394.211) from the deputy for Research, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

    Bita Moudi, Zahra Heidari & Hamidreza Mahmoudzadeh-Sagheb

  2. Department of Histology, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran

    Bita Moudi, Zahra Heidari & Hamidreza Mahmoudzadeh-Sagheb

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Moudi, B., Heidari, Z. & Mahmoudzadeh-Sagheb, H. Meta-analysis and systematic review of prognostic significance of Glypican-3 in patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma. VirusDis. 30, 193–200 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13337-019-00517-6

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