Clinical value of microRNA-143 in the diagnosis of human cancers: a meta-analysis

Previous studies have found that microRNA-143 (miRNA-143 or miR-143) is abnormally expressed in various cancers, indicating that miR-143 may serve as a novel biomarker for cancer diagnosis. However, the diagnostic value of miR-143 in different cancers remains inconsistent. Based on evidence-based medicine, for the first time, the present meta-analysis aimed to explore the accuracy of miR-143 in cancer diagnosis. A total of seven relevant studies were selected, according to inclusion exclusion criteria, from online databases. Overall results of pooled analysis were: sensitivity 0.78 (95% CI = 0.74-0.82), specificity 0.85 (95% CI = 0.81-0.88), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) 5.17 (95% CI = 4.02-6.64), negative likelihood (NLR) 0.26 (95% CI = 0.21-0.30), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) 20.25 (95% CI = 14.21-28.87), and area under the curve (AUC) 0.88 (95% CI = 0.85-0.91). No potential publication bias was detected based on results of Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test (P = 0.46). The present study revealed that miRNA-143 had moderate accuracy in the diagnosis of different cancers. Nevertheless, further studies with large sample sizes and comprehensive experiments are required to confirm present conclusions.