Abstract
BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have confirmed the upregulation of the long non-coding small nucleolar RNA host gene (SNHG) family in pancreatic cancer (PC) tissues, indicating its significant implications for PC prognosis. This research performed a meta-analysis to investigate whether the expression levels of SNHGs are correlated with PC prognosis. METHODS: Six relevant electronic databases were searched, and original documents were screened for relevance. Moreover, the research quality of every document was analyzed through the NOS scale. Data extraction involved the retrieval of information regarding SNHG expression levels, survival outcomes, and follow-up durations. Odds ratios (ORs) and Hazard ratios (HRs) were combined with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the association between SNHG expression and overall survival (OS), depth of invasion, tumor size, and Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage. To investigate potential publication bias, sensitivity analyses, and Begg’s test were carried out. RESULTS: Combining HRs with 95% CIs depicted that a considerable positive association exists between the elevated expression of SNHG and poorer OS (HR: 1.228, 95% CI: 1.142–1.315). Moreover, high SNHG expression was linked to higher histological grade (OR: 1.460, 95% CI: 1.149–1.856), increased likelihood of lymph node metastasis (OR: 1.818, 95% CI: 1.436–2.302), larger tumor size (OR: 1.500, 95% CI: 1.195–1.884), and advanced TNM stage (OR: 2.000, 95% CI: 1.569–2.549). Conversely, no considerable correlation was found between SNHG expression and age (OR: 0.983, 95% CI: 0.800-1.208), distant metastasis (DM) (OR: 1.725, 95% CI: 0.970–3.065), depth of invasion (OR: 1.456, 95% CI: 0.892–2.377), or gender (OR: 1.077, 95% CI: 0.848–1.369). The sensitivity analysis supported the robustness and reliability of OS findings, whereas Begg’s test revealed an absence of significant publication bias in the original literature. CONCLUSION: Most SNHGs were highly expressed in PC tissues, with elevated levels correlating with a poor prognosis for PC. SNHGs hold promise as both potential targets for tumor therapy and valuable prognostic markers.