Relationship of serum MMP-7 levels for colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis aimed to identify the value of serum matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) levels for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Through searching the following electronic databases: Cochrane Library (Issue 12, 2014), Web of Science (1945∼2014), PubMed (1966∼2014), CINAHL (1982∼2014), EMBASE (1980∼2014), and CBM (1982∼2014), related articles were determined without any language restrictions. Stata statistical software (Version 12.0, Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA) was chosen to deal with statistical data. Standard mean difference (SMD) and its corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) were calculated to clarify the correlation between serum MMP-7 levels and CRC. Seven clinical case-control studies which recruited 430 CRC patients and 357 healthy subjects were selected for statistical analysis. The main findings of our meta-analysis showed that the serum MMP-7 level in CRC patients was significantly higher than that in control subjects (SMD = 2.15, 95 % CI = 1.46∼2.84, P < 0.001). Ethnicity-stratified analysis indicated a higher serum MMP-7 level in CRC patients than that of control subjects among the Asians and the Caucasians (Asians: SMD = 2.83, 95 % CI = 1.76∼3.91, P < 0.001; Caucasians: SMD = 1.06, 95 % CI = 0.46∼1.66, P = 0.001; respectively). The present meta-analysis indicated that the increased serum level of MMP-7 may be connected with the development of CRC; thus, serum levels of MMP-7 could be an independent biomarker for CRC patients.