Prognostic value of lncRNA AFAP1‐AS1 in breast cancer: a meta‐analysis and validated study in Chinese population

Abstract

BackgroundLong non encoding RNA (lncRNA) plays a crucial role in breast cancer. However, the prognostic role of AFAP1‐AS1 in breast cancer remains unclear.AimsTo investigate the relationship between the expression of long non‐coding RNA actin filament‐associated protein1 antisense RNA1 (AFAP1‐AS1) and prognosis of breast cancer.Methods and ResultsMeta‐analysis was performed to explore the correlation between AFAP1‐AS1 and breast cancer. The AFAP1‐AS1expression in patients with breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue from 153 patients was determined by qRT‐PCR. Bioinformatics and Cox proportional‐hazards risk model were used to explore the relationship between expression of AFAP1‐AS1 and prognosis. The combined analysis revealed a significant correlation between AFAP1‐AS1 expression and both overall survival (hazard ratios, HR = 2.33, 95%Cl: 1.94–2.81, p < 0.001) as well as disease‐free survival/progression‐free survival (HR = 2.94, 95%CI: 2.35–3.67, p < 0.001). The relation between expression of AFAP1‐AS1 and breast cancer was determined in 153 breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues. The findings revealed a significantly higher AFAP1‐AS1expression levels in breast cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.001). Additionally, patients exhibiting heightened levels of AFAP1‐AS1 expression were correlated with an unfavorable prognosis (HR = 2.35, 95%CI: 1.47–3.74, p < 0.001), which aligns consistently with the findings of the pooled analysis. The subgroup analysis of clinical characteristics revealed a significant association between high expression of AFAP1‐AS1 and TNM stage (HR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.11–2.65, p = 0.015).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that AFAP1‐AS1 acts as an oncogene and may serve as a novel prognostic marker for breast cancer, particularly in the Chinese population.