Abstract
Background and Aim: MicroRNAs, dysregulated in the circulation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patient, have been assumed to be with great potential in the diagnosis and prognosis of esophageal cancer. We aimed to review previous articles on ESCC. Methods: A search of electronic databases was performed before Nov 12, 2017. We summarized the identification of microRNA imbalance in the blood of ESCC compared with the healthy controls, with the objective to evaluate the efficiency of microRNAs in diagnosing and forecasting ESCC. Results: A total of 35 studies investigating plasma or serum microRNAs were included in the meta-analysis. Based on the consequences of the quality assessment of each study, the articles involved were appropriate for quantitative synthesis. For diagnostic meta-analysis. The overall pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of circulating microRNA is 0.794 (95% CI: 0.765 - 0.820), 0.779 (95%CI: 0.746 - 0.808), 0.86 (95%CI: 0.82 - 0.88). The diagnostic value of each microRNA was calculated respectively. For prognostic meta-analysis, the overall pooled hazard ratios of higher microRNA expression in circulation was 1.34 (95% CI: 1.14-1.58), which could significantly predict poorer survival in ESCC. Conclusions: Circulating microRNAs distinguish patients with ESCC from healthy controls with high sensitivity and specificity, compared to other invasive currently used screening methods. Simultaneously, there was prognostic value for the prognosis of ESCC.