SynthesisFrontiers in oncology2026
Serum ferritin as a non-invasive prognostic biomarker in cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
Purpose: Serum ferritin (SF) is a routine biomarker reflecting iron status and systemic inflammation. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to validate the prognostic value of circulating SF for overall survival (OS) in adult patients with malignant tumors. Experimental design: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, the Chinese databases CNKI and Wanfang from inception to December 31, 2025, for retrospective cohort studies reporting the association between SF levels and overall survival (OS) in cancer patients. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed quality via the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, with prespecified subgroup, sensitivity, and publication bias analyses. This study was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251271950). Results: Ten moderate-to-high quality studies (3,083 patients) were included. Elevated SF was significantly associated with increased mortality risk (pooled HR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.55-2.05, Conclusion: Higher SF correlates with worse OS in adult patients with both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Our data only offers preliminary reference for risk stratification, and we cannot recommend routine clinical application right now. Larger prospective trials are needed to verify the ferritin concentration cut-off and different predictive values of pre- and post-treatment testing. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD420251271950.
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