Zuhdiyah NIHAYATI, Gondo MASTUTIK, Anny Setijo RAHAJU
Perinatal Journal - 2026;34(2):330-343
To analyse claudin expression as a molecular prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma. Several databases were used to compile data for a cohort research on claudin expression in patients with renal cell carcinoma who had undergone nephrectomy. These databases included cancer-specific survival, disease-free survival, overall survival, and cumulative survival rate. This review included ten studies involving 2,192 adult patients diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who underwent nephrectomy, to analyse the correlation between claudin expression and clinicopathological features. This review included 696 female patients and 1,371 male patients. All participants were adults, with a median and mean age exceeding 60 years. Claudin expression varied across studies and correlated with specific clinicopathological characteristics. Dysregulation of claudin-4 and claudin-8 was associated with more aggressive histopathological features, characterised by higher tumour grade and advanced stage, while claudin-5 and claudin-6 demonstrated no significant association with clinicopathological features. In renal cell carcinoma, overexpression of claudin-1 and claudin-10 was substantially linked to worse Cancer-Specific Survival (CSS), although elevation of claudin-7 had no such association. The opposite was true for Disease-Free Survival (DFS), which improved with increased levels of claudin-7 and claudin-10. Additionally, in renal cell carcinoma, there was no statistically significant association between claudin-6 expression and Overall Survival (OS), although overexpression of claudin-7, claudin-8, and claudin-10 was related with greater OS. According to this systematic review, claudin family proteins may serve as potential molecular prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in renal cell carcinoma. Confirmation to these indications through large-scale, prospective studies integrating molecular, genomic, validation of these associations and clarification of the function of claudins in kidney tumor growth and therapy response need more clinical data.
