WITHDRAWN: Prognostic Significance of Pyruvate Kinase M2 Expression in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2) is a key enzyme in glycolysis pathway and has been reported to be associated with the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the prognostic value of PKM2 in ESCC remains undetermined.Materials and methods: This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological significance of PKM2 expression in ESCC. A comprehensive and systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Medline and Cochrane library databases. Appraised were the quality of studies, the potential for bias, and performed meta-analysis to assess the prognostic impact of PKM2 on the overall survival (OS).Results: Five studies with 781 patients were eligible and enrolled eventually. Patients with high PKM2 expression were associated with poor prognosis in ESCC (HR=1.72, 95%CI: 1.41~2.09, P＜0.01). Furthermore, up-regulated PKM2 was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (OR=2.38, 95%CI: 1.68~3.35, P＜0.01), clinical stage (OR=3.29, 95%CI: 2.27~4.77, P＜0.01) and T classification (OR=2.92, 95%CI: 2.05~4.16, P＜0.01).Conclusions: In conclusion, high PKM2 expression denotes worse OS in ESCC patients, and correlate with the lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and T classification. However, further studies are warranted to assess how PKM2 can be implemented as a reliable staging element in clinical practice and whether it could provide a new target for therapeutic intervention.