Prognostic Roles Of High Timp-1 Expression In Patients With Solid Tumors: A Meta-Analysis

Background: In recent years, many studies have indicated that tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) protein has a close relationship with prognosis in cancer patients. However, other studies have not drawn the same conclusion. Methods: The current systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the prognostic effects of TIMP1 in cancer patients. Eleven studies were involved in the analysis, including four that evaluated breast cancer, two that evaluated colon cancer, and one each that evaluated epithelial ovarian cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and laryngeal squamous cell cancer. Results: Results indicate that increased TIMP1 protein levels yield worse overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.58, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.25-2.01). Subgroup analysis by tumor type showed that high expression of TIMP-1 was associated with poor OS in colon cancer (HR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.35-4.25), rather than in breast cancer (HR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.83-1.74). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that high expression of TIMP-1 was associated with poor OS in Asians (HR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.64-3.06) and Caucasians (HR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.02-1.75). Conclusion: In summary, TIMP-1 is a poor prognostic maker for solid tumors.