Background: Various studies have evaluated the significance of phospho-histone-H3 (PHH3) expression in cancer patients, but controversy over its reliability remains. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the prognostic relevance of PHH3 expression in cancer patients.
Patients and methods: Nineteen studies, including 4803 patients, were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The correlation of PHH3 expression level with overall survival (OS), disease-free survival, and recurrence-free survival was analyzed.
Results: Overall, the results suggest that high expression of PHH3 can predict a poor OS (HR=2.66, 95% CI=1.74–4.08, P <0.001), disease-free survival (HR=3.40, 95% CI=1.47–7.87, P =0.004), and recurrence-free survival (HR=2.80, 95% CI=1.61–4.85, P <0.001) in cancer patients. The subgroup analysis showed that highly expressed PHH3 was significantly related to breast cancer (HR=5.66, 95% CI=2.72–11.78, P <0.001) and urogenital tumors (HR=3.01, 95% CI=1.78–5.09, P <0.001). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between Asian (HR=1.98, 95% CI=1.08–3.63, P =0.026) and Caucasian populations (HR=3.01, 95% CI=1.87–4.85, P <0.001) regarding OS and PHH3 expression.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicates that high expression of PHH3 may serve as a biomarker for poor prognosis in patients with cancer.
Keywords: PHH3, prognosis, human cancer, meta-analysis, survival