Urology Research & Practice
Reviews

Prognostic Value of TGF-β Expression in Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

1.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Hamadan, Iran

2.

Department of Biochemistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Shiraz, Iran

3.

Department of Biostatistics, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Shiraz, Iran

Urol Res Pract 2024; 50: 148-153
DOI: 10.5152/tud.2024.24024
Read: 119 Downloads: 62 Published: 21 October 2024

Objective: Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a member of the growth factor superfamily that clinical studies address its association with bladder cancer invasion, progression, and metastasis. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the prognostic significance of TGF-β expression in bladder cancer patients.

Materials and Methods: The major international databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus, were searched for full-text literature citations. The hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% CI as the effect size was applied as the appropriate summarized statistic. We used a random-effects model using the DerSimonian and Laird method to estimate the pooled effect size. To assess the heterogeneity among trials, the I-square (I 2 ) statistic and Cochran’s Q test were used. Forest and funnel plots were drawn to respectively demonstrate the findings and detect any existing publication bias.

Results: This meta-analysis included 3 studies that met the criteria and included 535 patients. The combined HR for the selected studies was 2.250 (95% CI=(1.411, 3.586), P< .001) and no significant heterogeneity was detected between trials (I 2=58.63, P=.089). Furthermore, no severe asymmetry was seen within the funnel plot, indicating a lack of potential publication bias.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that TGF-β expression can remarkably predict a worse prognosis in patients with bladder cancer. The results of the present meta-analysis may be validated through further updated reviews and additional relevant investigations in future studies.

Cite this article as: Kianmehr S, Vahabirad M, Seghatoleslam A, Sadeghi E, Kiani R, Ghasemi H. Prognostic value of TGF-β expression in bladder cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Urol Res Pract. 2024;50(3):148-153.

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