Increasing evidence has shown that overexpression of P-
element-induced wimpy-testis (PIWI)-like
protein 1 (PIWIL1) was associated with unfavorable prognosis of patients with various types of
cancers. Herein, we conducted this meta-analysis to identify the clinicopathological and prognostic value of the PIWIL1 expression in
cancers. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) were comprehensively retrieved for relevant studies up to August 4th, 2019. RevMan 5.3 and STATA 12.0 statistical software programs were used to explore the relationships between PIWIL1 expression and the prognosis and clinicopathological features in
cancer patients. A total of 13 studies recruiting 2179 patients with 9 types of solid
tumors were finally included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that patients with high PIWIL1 expression tended to have a shorter survival, and additionally deeper
tumor invasion, higher clinical stage, and more
lymph node metastasis. PIWIL1 could serve as a
biomarker for prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics in various
cancers.