Abstract
BACKGROUND: The effect of soluble programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (sPD-L1) on the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been extensively explored; however, the results remain controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to determine its exact function in predicting CRC prognosis. METHODS: We retrieved relevant data from the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to February 24, 2025. We computed combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the value of sPD-L1 in predicting overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) in CRC. RESULTS: Six studies involving a total of 773 patients were included. The integrated results revealed that higher sPD-L1 levels were significantly associated with unfavorable OS (HR = 2.19, 95%CI = 1.16‒4.15; p = 0.016) and DFS/PFS (HR = 3.14, 95%CI = 1.88‒5.24; p < 0.001) in CRC. However, sPD-L1 was not markedly associated with sex (OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 0.52-3.14; p = 0.596), T stage (OR = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.33‒1.28; p = 0.210), TNM stage (OR = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.57‒1.74; p = 0.976) and lymph node metastasis (OR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.46‒1.58; p = 0.620) in CRC. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated sPD-L1 levels could serve as a critical factor in predicting both unfavorable OS and DFS/PFS in patients with CRC.