A meta analysis of subtype-specific prognostic significance of METTL3 expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to systematically synthesize evidence regarding the association between METTL3 expression and clinical outcomes in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across CNKI, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, encompassing all relevant studies published from database inception to January 1, 2024. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 18.0, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as the primary effect measures. Results: Nine eligible cohort studies involving 2,754 patients were included. Pooled analyses revealed that high METTL3 expression was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (OS) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.67–0.94; P = 0.006). In contrast, no statistically significant association was observed in lung squamous-cell carcinoma (LUSC) (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.91–1.07; P = 0.81). Further subgroup analysis restricted to studies with a follow-up period exceeding 10 months demonstrated a pronounced prognostic effect of METTL3 in the overall NSCLC cohort (HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04–0.85; P = 0.03). Conclusion: Aberrant METTL3 expression may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker specifically in LUAD, with its prognostic value becoming more prominent after 10 months of follow-up.