Abstract: Objective Many studies have explored the role of RNA m6A methylation modifiers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the current results are controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to comprehensively study the relationship between RNA m6A methylation and the risk of liver cancer and the prognosis of patients with HCC. Methods We searched Chinese and English literatures database before March 2024, including Chinese databases Wanfang and CNKI, and English databases, Pubmed, OVID, EBSCO and web of science. Related literatures as case-control studies, on RNA m6A methylation and the development and prognosis of patients with HCC were retrieved. The quality of the literature was evaluated according to the Newcastle- Ottawa scale (NOS) scoring system. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature was screened and the data was extracted, and the RevMan5.3 software was applied for statistical analysis. Results A total of 11 articles were found, including 3586 patients with HCC (1071 HCC tissues and 2515 adjacent liver tissue); the positive rate of m6A methylation in HCC tissues was 61.7%, significantly higher than 38.5% [OR= 4.77, 95% CI (2.58-8.82), P<0.00001] in liver tissues; hepatic expressions of FTO, METTL3, YTHDF1 and ALKBH5 were positively correlated to poor prognosis of patients with HCC [HR=1.3, 95%CI(1.17-1.44),P<0.00001]. Conclusion RNA m6A hypermethylation is closely related to the occurrence of liver cancer, and the expressions of m6A methylation modifiers, such as FTO, METTL3,YTHDF1 and ALKBH5 genes in liver cancer tissues are closely related to the poor prognosis of patients with HCC.

Key words: Hepatoma, m6A RNA, Methylation, Prognosis, Meta-analysis