Association Between PTEN Status and Ovarian Cancer Prognosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Phosphatase and TENsin homolog (PTEN), a tumor suppressor, is a critical factor in regulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway to prevent excessive cell growth. Absence or alteration of PTEN expression is associated with poor prognosis of ovarian carcinomas. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to investigate the relationship between PTEN status and ovarian cancer prognosis. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted up to October 8, 2023, to find relevant articles from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Eligible studies were included. The meta-analysis was performed after data extraction and quality assessment. Result: Seventeen studies with a total of 2395 women with ovarian cancer were included. The hazard ratio (HR) was defined as a measure of the predictive value of the risk of death for patients with PTEN-positive tumors. Analysis was performed based on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). A positive correlation was observed in both cases (OS: HR = 0.75, 95 CI = 0.54, 1.05; PFS: HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.59, 1.28); however, it was not significant. After adjusting the variables, this positive relationship remained insignificant (OS: HR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.57, 1.41; PFS: HR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.41, 2.00). Egger’s test, Begg’s test, and funnel plot showed no publication bias. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests a potential association between PTEN status and ovarian cancer prognosis; however, the findings were not statistically significant and should be interpreted with caution. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.