Aim: We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic and clinicopathological relevance of DKC1 in various cancers. Methods: We searched Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang and CNKI. Stata SE15.1 was used to calculate the hazard ratio and relative risk with 95% CIs to assess the possible correlations between DKC1 expression levels and overall and disease-free survival, as well as with clinicopathological parameters. Results: We included nine studies, with a total of 2574 patients. There was a meaningful link between elevated DKC1 and poorer disease-free (p < 0.001) and overall survival (p < 0.001). Also, it was linked to advanced tumor node metastasis stage (p = 0.005). Conclusion: High DKC1 expression was predictive of worse prognosis and poorer clinicopathological parameters.
Keywords: DKC1; biomarkers; cancer; meta-analysis; prognosis.
What is this summary about? This brief summary reports the effects of high or low levels of a gene expression product called DKC1 on survival time and clinicopathological parameters in a small group of people with cancer. The DKC1 gene encodes a protein, DKC1, that is important for cancer cell proliferation. We systematically reviewed nine studies involving 2574 patients. What was the result? In this research, we revealed that people with cancer who had poor DKC1 expression had considerably longer survival without disease and better overall survival. In addition, the increased expression of DKC1 was linked to late-stage cancers. What do these results mean? The study has shown encouraging results, suggesting that DKC1 is a promising target for cancer therapy, as targeting it may hinder its ability to impair ribosome production and normal telomerase complex function to prolong patient life and prevent progression to a later disease stage. These studies demonstrate the need for more studies involving more people to definitively confirm how effective targeting DKC1 may be in treating cancer patients.