# Association of the TRIM family protein with survival outcomes and clinicopathological features in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

## TL;DR

This study finds that TRIM proteins are linked to worse survival and tumor progression in colorectal cancer patients.

## Contribution

A meta-analysis showing TRIM proteins are a novel prognostic marker in colorectal cancer.

## Key findings

- High TRIM protein levels correlate with shorter survival in colorectal cancer patients.
- TRIM overexpression is associated with advanced tumor stages and metastasis.
- TRIM proteins may serve as potential therapeutic targets for CRC.

## Abstract

The tripartite motif (TRIM) proteins have been reported to play crucial roles in various malignancies. However, the clinical significance of TRIM proteins in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the association between TRIM proteins and the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes in patients with CRC.

We performed a meta-analysis to investigate whether TRIM is a prognostic factor in CRC. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and Weipu databases were searched to identify eligible studies that evaluated the association between TRIM proteins and overall survival (OS), as well as the clinicopathological features of patients with CRC. Hazard ratios (HR) or odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were derived and pooled using a fixed-effects model.

From inception to March 2023, we extracted study characteristics and prognostic data for each identified study. Twelve studies enrolling 1608 patients were eligible for inclusion. Data on OS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were available for 12 and 2 studies, respectively. The pooled analysis results showed a significant correlation between the elevated TRIM proteins and shorter OS (HR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.96–2.99) and worse RFS (HR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.78–3.54) in patients with CRC. The combined ORs indicated that TRIM protein over-expression was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.25–4.10), deep tumor invasion (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.04–3.88), lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.99, 95% CI: 2.19–4.09) and perineural invasion (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.18–3.23).

Our findings suggest that TRIM proteins can predict tumor progression and poor prognosis in CRC. Therefore, TRIM proteins may be promising therapeutic targets for patients with CRC.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-024-12280-z.