SATB1 overexpression correlates with gastrointestinal neoplasms invasion and metastasis: a meta-analysis for Chinese population

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal neoplasm (GIN) is the most common neoplasm in China. The global chromatin organizer SATB1 (special AT-rich sequence binding protein 1) is aberrantly expressed in multiple human neoplasms. We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate whether the invasion and metastasis of GIN correlates with SATB1 levels in tumor tissues in Chinese patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eligible studies were identified through multiple search strategies in the databases PubMed, Embase, Medline, CNKI, and WANFANG, and the relevant clinicopathological data were extracted. Data were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effects or DerSimonian-Laid random-effects model. RESULTS Fourteen studies consisting of 1622 patients were included. There were 3, 3, and 8 studies that evaluated esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers, respectively. The overall mean percentage of patients with elevated SATB1 levels was 47.84%. Among patients with GIN, SATB1 overexpression was associated with depth of invasion (T stage: RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.18-1.36, P = 0.000), regional lymph node metastasis (N stage: RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.22-1.87, P = 0.000), and distant metastasis (M stage: RR 2.54, 95% CI 1.46-4.41, P = 0.001). The tumor type most closely linked with invasion and metastasis in GIN was gastric cancer (RR for T stage: 1.64, RR for N stage: 1.68, RR for M stage: 3.15). CONCLUSIONS Invasion and metastasis of GIN in Chinese patients correlates with SATB1 overexpression in tumor tissues, most profoundly in gastric cancer.