The characteristics of androgen receptor splice variant 7 in the treatment of hormonal sensitive prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Accumulating evidence suggests androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7) may be associated with the prognosis of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) received novel hormonal therapy while its characteristic and prognosis value in hormonal sensitive prostate cancer is unclear. Methods We aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of AR-V7 by progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in hormonal sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC), and the AR-V7-positive-proportion difference in HSPC and CRPC. A search of PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science was performed using the keywords prostate cancer, prostate tumor, prostate neoplasm, prostate carcinoma; AR-V7, AR3, androgen receptor splicing variant-7, or androgen receptor-3. Seventeen trials published due December 2019 were enrolled. Results AR-V7-positive proportion in CRPC was significantly larger than newly diagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) (odds ratio [OR] 7.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.52–19.83, P