Association between runx2 expression and survival outcome of cancer patients: a meta-analysis of 12 cohorts

Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) was reported to play a pivotal role in the progression of cancer. However, the prognostic value of Runx2 expression in cancers still remains unclear. Thus, we performed a systematically meta-analysis to evaluate the predictive effects of Runx2. The databases including Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane library were comprehensively searched. A total of 12 studies with 1700 cases were enrolled in our meta-analysis. The results based on the random-effect model indicated that high Runx2 expression predicted a worse outcome in cancer patients (HR=2.56, 95% CI=2.34-2.78). Besides, the subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity indicated that the high level of Runx2 was related with a worse survival condition in Asian (HR=2.71, 95% CI=2.46-2.95) compared to Caucasian (HR=1.95, 95% CI=1.45-2.44). In conclusion, overexpression of Runx2 is significantly associated with a poor prognosis in cancer. Our study suggested Runx2 might serve as a biomarker and could predict prognosis in cancers.