Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31832021›Full record

ReviewCancer cell international2019

Prognostic and diagnostic significance of galectins in pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Qiqing Sun, Yiyin Zhang, Mengqi Liu, Zeng Ye, Xianjun Yu, Xiaowu Xu, Yi Qin

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancer cell international, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Galectins for Diagnosis and Prognostic Assessment of Human Diseases: An Overview of Meta-Analyses.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2020
    Pooled it
  2. Exosome-mediated triple drug delivery enhances apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Galectin-9 in Gastroenterological Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Galectin-8, cytokines, and the storm.Biochemical Society transactions · 2022
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Qiqing Sun *1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Yiyin Zhang *1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Mengqi Liu1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Zeng Ye1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Xianjun Yu1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Xiaowu Xu1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Yi Qin1Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032 China.ORCID 0000-0001-9804-202X
Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGalectins constitute a family of β-galactoside-binding proteins, which influence various hallmarks of pancreatic cancer, including cell proliferation, invasion and migration; immune escape; and angiogenesis. Although many studies have concentrated on the role of galectins in pancreatic cancer, the results remain controversial. Hence, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to clarify the precise diagnostic and prognostic value of galectins in pancreatic cancer.

methodsPubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science were used to search related published literature up to July 2019. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs), diagnostic accuracy variables and related 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using STATA 14.0 software.

resultsEleven studies including 1227 participants met our inclusion criteria. High expression of galectin family was not correlated with overall survival (OS) in pancreatic cancer (HR, 1.19; 95% CI 0.67-2.11). According to subgroup analysis, high levels of galectin-1 were significantly correlated with worse OS in pancreatic cancer (HR, 4.77; 95% CI 2.47-9.21), while high levels of tandem-repeat galectins (galectin-4 or galectin-9) predicted both better OS (HR, 0.63; 95% CI 0.46-0.86) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR, 0.63; 95% CI 0.48-0.83). The expression levels of galectin-3 did not directly correlate with prognosis (HR, 0.99; 95% CI 0.40-2.46). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratios of galectin-3 were 0.64 (95% CI 0.41-0.82), 0.76 (95% CI 0.59-0.88), 2.70 (95% CI 1.21-6.1), and 0.47 (95% CI 0.23-0.98), respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of galectin-3 was 0.77.

conclusionTaken together, our results suggest that high expression of galectin-1 and low levels of galectin-4 or galectin-9 are predictors of worse prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients. The expression of galectin-3 was not directly related to OS and other clinical characteristics. Although galectin-3 exhibited some diagnostic value in patients with pancreatic cancer in this meta-analysis, clinical application prospects remain to be validated. Further studies are warranted to confirm and strengthen these findings.

Indexed as

DiagnosisGalectinsMeta-analysisPancreatic cancerPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID31832021
PMCPMC6873495
OpenAlexW2989845071

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.